Surry Hills institution the Strawberry Hills Hotel has been sold by legacy hoteliers the Hargreaves family to the pilots of the Laundy Hotels empire, Danielle and Shane Richardson.
Almost a decade after purchasing the nearby Shakespeare Hotel, in 1975, matriarch Margaret Hargreaves acquired the family’s second pub investment, the Strawberry Hills Hotel.
Established 1871 and formerly the Southern Cross Hotel, the Strawberry resides on a prominent corner of Elizabeth and Devonshire Streets. In 1921 a new Interwar-style hotel replaced the original building.
Situated less than 200 metres from Central Station, today it also benefits from its proximity to Sydney’s Entertainment Quarter and the sustained investment in the precinct, bringing landmarks such as the 600-Ha Tech Central – Sydney’s largest innovation district.
Keyed to both local and city worker trade it features a large ground floor public bar, gaming room with 26 machines, functions room and a popular alfresco drinking and dining space on the upper level.
In 2024 Margaret divested the Shakespeare for $10 million, not long before she passed away, mid-2025.
Having received unsolicited approaches, the family determined that after a tenure of 32 years now was the right time to sell the Strawberry.
“We’re super excited to add it to the portfolio,” Danielle Richardson, daughter to Arthur Laundy, told PubTIC.
“Our pubs are about local community. The Strawberry is absolutely full of character, an institution, which fits perfectly into what we love.”
Richardson says they are in no rush to change anything.
“At every pub we buy someone has done an amazing job. When we take on a new pub we want to learn and speak to locals, to see what they see as opportunities and, I guess, enhance what has already been done.”
The Laundy empire matriarch, who manages the family’s collection of around 90 pubs with her husband Shane, believes people are doing it tough and pubs need to think, and pivot, to drive consumer demand.
Belying its city-fringe location the Strawberry is something of a destination for weekend trade, and Richardson explains the opportunity is in making it even more attractive mid-week while not detracting from that.
“Every small business is facing the same pressures, with the increased cost of business. The challenge is for us to think a bit differently, try and become more innovative in attracting patrons earlier in the week, creating experiences that make people want to come to the pub more often.
“People are looking for ways to connect with others. We’re excited with what we can do and can’t wait to become part of the Surry Hills community.”
This marks the fifth pub in the Richardsons’ portfolio, joining the Long Jetty Hotel, Orana Hotel in Blacksmith, and more locally the Red Lion in Rozelle. They are partners at the Tacking Point Tavern in Port Macquarie with Alistair Flower, who operates it under his banner.
The others, now including the Strawberry, are operated under the Laundy banner.
The off-market transaction was managed by JLL Hotels’ Kate MacDonald and Ben McDonald, who report the Richardsons will take over the “trophy-calibre” asset before Christmas, as capital demand for pubs “remains deep” in 2026.
“This result reflects investors’ continued conviction in well-located, operationally proven hotels, and we’re pleased to have delivered it for the Hargreaves family,” says McDonald.
