Australian Leisure and Hospitality’s Imperial Hotel, in south-east Queensland, will permanently close this September in favour of a railway upgrade, ahead of the 2032 Olympic games.
Located in Beenleigh, 35 kilometres south of Brisbane, the two-level Imperial resides on a 1,834sqm site, featuring main bar, sports and Keno bar, gaming room and drive-through BWS bottleshop.
In 2021 listed funds manager Charter Hall purchased the Imperial from ALH in a sale-and-leaseback, leaving the national pub group options as leaseholder until 2082.
Heaven Littlejohn, venue manager with almost two decades at the hotel, says the pub isn’t the only business facing closure, as while some neighbouring businesses could relocate, others had nowhere else to go.
The local landmark, with its façade unchanged since 1885, has seen it all in its 139 years.
Its final day of trading, scheduled as 5 September, shouldn’t be any different, with entertainment and activities planned for its farewell party.
“It’s gonna be a big day with a lot of happy and a lot of sad,” Littlejohn told My City Logan.
“There’s not much we can do about it, so just give the pub a good send off.”
Staff will be relocated to other ALH venues.
