logo
Pub billionaire splashes $3m to give Watsons Bay hotel a facelift

Pub billionaire splashes $3m to give Watsons Bay hotel a facelift

Piper's Epochal Hotels portfolio includes Harbord Hotel in Freshwater, Beach Hotel in Merewether, Newcastle, the Commodore in North Sydney and the Q Station on the Manly headland. Both deals were completed by JLL Hotels.
Patts' soul
The $13.6 billion ASX-listed Soul Patts conglomerate, run by chairman Ribert Millner, and retirement specialists Moran have partnered with Bridge Housing and the Northern Beaches Women's Shelter to provide safe, short-term accommodation to people facing housing stress.
Under the scheme, Soul Patts, which owns a former aged care home in Narrabeen, and Moran, the operator, will provide capital as part of the planned redevelopment of the existing site.
But as a new model for the industry, the two will offer the premises for use as transitional housing for people in need, to be run by Bridge Housing, while they go through the long-winded planning process.
Many development sites sit empty while the planning process is under way but Narrabeen House's 24 independent homes will instead be used for much-needed accommodation.
Bridge Housing will professionally manage the homes, overseeing tenancy, property maintenance, and tenant support. They work closely with local support agencies Northern Beaches Women's Shelters, Mission Australia, Burdekin Foundation and Women and Children First.
Kmart centre
As part of the plan to double revenue to $20 billion over the next decade, Kmart will open a $500 million state-of-the-art fulfilment centre in Sydney's west.
Located at the ESR Moorebank Intermodal Precinct, the 100,000 square metre site will also service conglomerate Wesfarmer's Target stores. Kmart has been experimenting with new store layouts to help increase sales and reach its $20 billion target in the next 10 years.
In a separate deal, Bing Lee electrics is selling its 16,743 square metre facility on a large 27,603 sq m corner site at 702 Woodville Road, Old Guildford, with a price tag of about $85 million.
Bing Lee, owner of the site since 2008, will remain as the tenant and recycle the cash from the sale into its business. Colliers' Gavin Bishop, Sean Thomson, Michael Crombie, Trent Gallagher are advising on the sale.
Stuyvesant's House
The well-known Stuyvesant's House, Crow's Nest, is closing its doors after opening in 1961. The owner and operator, restaurateur Rudi Dietz, is retiring and selling the popular eatery at 45 Alexander Street.
Dietz took over the restaurant in 1973, just over a decade after it first opened under Dutch ownership. He brought with him a deep love for authentic German hospitality. The building occupies 221 sq m of land with a 347 sq m internal area and an 85 sq m cellar.
The site's zoning is for mixed use and offers development potential for investors. No price guide was given but it generates gross income of $220,000 per annum plus GST. Scott Stephens from RWC Sydney North is advising on the sale.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

ASX at risk as Trump's Big Beautiful Bill distorts share prices
ASX at risk as Trump's Big Beautiful Bill distorts share prices

AU Financial Review

timean hour ago

  • AU Financial Review

ASX at risk as Trump's Big Beautiful Bill distorts share prices

The latest surge in the Australian sharemarket above the 8800 level for the first time is being fuelled by a far rosier outlook for US corporate earnings and ignores the growing risk that profits from ASX-listed companies will slow for a fourth year. That's the warning from MST Marquee, which has told clients that the corporate tax changes in US President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill had driven profit upgrades on Wall Street, alongside a weaker greenback and investment in artificial intelligence.

US is auctioning seized $500 million Russian yacht
US is auctioning seized $500 million Russian yacht

9 News

time8 hours ago

  • 9 News

US is auctioning seized $500 million Russian yacht

The US government is auctioning off the $US325 million ($500 million) yacht Amadea, its first sale of a seized Russian luxury ship since the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The auction, which closes on September 10, comes as President Donald Trump seeks to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war. The US has said it's working with allies to put pressure on Russian oligarchs, some of whom are close to Putin and have had their yachts seized, to try to compel him to stop the war. The 106-metre-long yacht, seized three years ago and currently docked in the US city of San Diego, was custom-built by the German company Lürssen in 2017. Designed by François Zuretti, the yacht features an interior with extensive marble work, eight state rooms, a beauty salon, a spa, a gym, a helipad, a swimming pool and a lift. It accommodates 16 guests and 36 crew members. Meanwhile, Eduard Khudainatov, a former chairman and chief executive of the state-controlled Russian oil and gas company Rosneft, who has not been sanctioned, claims to own it. US prosecutors say Khudainatov is a straw owner of the yacht, intended to conceal the yacht's true owner, Kerimov. Litigation over the true ownership of the yacht is ongoing. A representative of Khudainatov said in an emailed statement on Wednesday that the planned sale of the yacht is 'improper and premature' since Khudainatov is appealing a forfeiture ruling. 'We doubt it will attract any rational buyer at fair market price, because ownership can, and will, be challenged in courts outside the United States, exposing purchasers to years of costly, uncertain litigation,' said the representative, Adam Ford. The yacht has been virtually untouched since the US National Maritime Services took custody of it in 2022. To submit a sealed bid on it, bidders must put in a $US11.6 million deposit, to be considered. Ford said Khudainatov would go after any proceeds from the sale of the yacht, estimated to be worth $US325 million. 'Should the government press ahead simply to staunch the mounting costs it is imposing on the American taxpayer, we will pursue the sale proceeds, and any shortfall from fair market value, once we prevail in court," Ford said. An American aid package for Ukraine signed into law last May gave the US the ability to seize Russian state assets in the US and use them for the benefit of Kyiv, which was attacked by Russia in February 2022.

Australian Uyghurs launch legal action against Kmart over alleged forced labour links
Australian Uyghurs launch legal action against Kmart over alleged forced labour links

SBS Australia

time12 hours ago

  • SBS Australia

Australian Uyghurs launch legal action against Kmart over alleged forced labour links

While many people may think of slavery as a thing of the past, more people are living in slavery today than ever before. While large companies in Australia are required to report on how they're addressing modern slavery risks in supply chains, there are no real penalties for inaction. Now, an organisation of Uyghur women are taking matters into their own hands by launching legal action against major retailer Kmart. The group says they have a reasonable belief that Kmart is sourcing some products from supply chains linked to forced Uyghur forced labour camps. Jen Kanis, Principal Lawyer at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, is representing the Uyghur group. "We filed a legal action in the federal court to determine if Kmart has engaged in misleading conduct about the use of forced labou r in their supply chain. And the reason why we've done that is because our client is concerned that Kmart is engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct in relation to what they say about their ethical sourcing claims." In a statement, Kmart say they have in place an Ethical Sourcing Program, which helps to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks, including the risk of forced labour. But with allegations of credible links made between their listed suppliers and factories linked to forced Uyghur labour, the legal action is calling on Kmart to share documents clarifying the matter. Ramila Chanisheff is the President of the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association, the group filing the legal action. She says that Kmart and other major retailers need to be transparent. "The ultimate aim is to know that Kmart doesn't engage with supply chains that have Uyghur forced labour or any slave labour. And that also goes obviously for other industries as well. Now Australia, it's illegal to have modern day slavery in Australia, and yet we find that the government legislations and laws in place are not strict enough. Are not strong enough to hold industries to account, and this is where it falls short, I think. We can prove or we can say, and we can provide credible evidence that could be or to force labour and supply chains, but if the government doesn't take it to the next level, it seems that industries are getting away with it." The Uyghur people are a majority Muslim, Turkic-speaking, ethnic minority living in an area of north-west China known officially as the Uyghur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, or East Turkestan to its Uyghur population. Since 2017, it's estimated that Chinese authorities have arrested over one million Uyghur people from the region. The Chinese Government then detains them in what officials call re-education camps... but which some experts on the matter describe as more akin to concentration camps. The involuntary transfers and forced labour of Uyghur people are well documented, enforced by Chinese officials under the guise of vocational training and poverty alleviation. Ms Chanisheff says every person in the Uyghur community has either immediate or extended family taken to camps. "All of us have been affected in some way, whether it is like our close relatives or secondary relatives or family or friends. All of us have been affected in some way when these people, those who have been taken into the concentration camps, there wouldn't be any communication with them, whatsoever. But the communication that does happen are those who are obviously left outside and we do have people in the community and are able to contact them through WeChat, which is a Chinese government communication tool, which is heavily monitored." Most people in the camps are arrested without charge. Some of the reasons given for their detention include attending services at the Mosque, sending texts containing Quranic verses, and wearing religious attire. In addition to mass arrests and surveillance, it's reported that Uyghur people are frequently subjected to forced sterilisation, sexual violence, separation of families, and torture. While data on the matter is scarce due to a lack of transparency from the Chinese Government, it's believed that tens of thousands of Uyghurs have been shipped throughout mainland China to work, without pay, in factories. The Chinese Government denies these claims. Freya Dinshaw is the associate legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre, which is also representing the Uyghur group. She says Australia has a serious problem with forced labour entering the market. "We're obviously all connected by the clothes we wear and the things we buy. And it's estimated that $27 billion worth of goods that are at high risk of being made with forced labour are imported into Australia every year. So this problem is only increasing." In Australia, the Modern Slavery Act only requires companies to report on actions to address risks of forced labour in supply chains. Unlike the U-S, which says China's treatment of the Uyghur people amounts to genocide, Australia does not ban the import of products made in Xinjiang province, instead relying on a policy of transparency. Freya Dinshaw saysthe Modern Slavery Act is not strong enough and must demand stronger corporate accountability. "The Australian Modern Slavery Act should be about protecting the people who put the clothes on our back, who pick the food that we eat and make the goods that we all consume. Yet it is a fairly weak piece of legislation in terms of only requiring reporting and not going further to require action by companies. So there's an urgent need to ensure that Australian companies have a duty to prevent modern slavery so that they're legally required to investigate and address modern slavery in their supply chains and face hard if they don't. And Australia should also follow the lead of other countries like Canada and the US and banned goods made with forced labor from ending up on our shop shelves so that we can all be confident that the clothes we wear and the things we have aren't made at the expense of someone else's freedom." If, through the legal action, it is revealed that Kmart is knowingly sourcing products from factories with links to forced labor, they could then be found to have engaged in misleading marketing by advertising ethical sourcing of all its products. If this is the case, however, they would not face penalties for sourcing products made by slave labour, just for claiming they did not. Jen Kanis says while this legal action is only preliminary, it could have wider impacts on the retail industry. "So I guess the outcome of this case is about the documents, but what this case may lead to is a misleading and deceptive conduct claim. And I think that that has implications all retailers who make claims about ethical sourcing and being an ethical business. And it will mean that they won't be able to make those claims unless they can actually substantiate them." Ramila Chanisheff says cheap clothing and strong economic ties with China should not come at the cost of human rights. "We need to make sure that every product that hits our shelves is slavery free, and the owners should not be on the consumer because the consumer cannot do deep diving as to how this product is made. So it needs to sit with the industry, it needs to sit with the retailers, and it needs to sit with the government to ensure that Australian citizens or any other citizens, the world citizens, are not always questioning whether our product is being used at the expense of another person's life."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store