Revantage UK, A Blackstone Portfolio Company’s Post

Earlier this year I purchased the Northern Belle Pub in Margate from the Shepheard Neame Brewery.    Sadly, many pubs across the UK have suffered in recent years from changing trends, from the Covid pandemic and also from rising costs as a result of inflation. These properties are difficult to repurpose, they sit empty and boarded up, sometimes for years.    This has been disastrous for the local economy as jobs are lost, and a space used as a meeting point for almost 500 years, is now lost from the community.    We set out to restore this iconic pub back to its former glory, provide a social space to the community, create jobs, maintain the buildings aesthetics and original features, all whilst turning this into a profitable property.   By opening up as a 'pop-up' venue, we can maximise revenue by leveraging local events (last weekend there was a Soul-Festival in Margate). Opening ad-hoc allows us to generate revenue even when the property isn't being rented as a whole.   The property can also provide space for private parties, including food with a fully equipped commercial kitchen. There are currently four double bedrooms, 2 with on-suites and enough space for 8 adults to enjoy the property, whilst holidaying on the South East Coast.  And of course, your own private pub with working beer taps! Sadly, many UK pubs are no longer financially viable, repurposing them and preserving their British heritage is key to every one of our projects.  It can generate high yields for investors whilst benefitting the local economy, at the same time celebrating these historical gems and sensitively redeveloping them. I have been an investor in the UK Buy to Let space for more than 20 years and my team have been buying, renovating and managing short and holiday-let properties across the country for the last 15. If you’re interested in learning more or want to see how you can get involved with one of our projects, please get in touch with me. If you just want to follow the Northern Belle’s journey from a pub to a high-yielding investment, follow me for updates and click the Bell icon to get notified when I post again! #realestate #investment #buytolet #buytoletuk #shorttermrental #airbnb #bookingcom #passiveincomestream

After a busy & hot Perth week, on a Friday like today, you might find me at my local pub, enjoying a nice cold pint. I typically get chatting with one of the many locals, you know, the friendly types that seem permanently fixed to their bar stool. I talk with those around me and we enjoy each other’s simple company. Spending my evening this way is normal for us Australians. The pub is a national institution and plays an important role in community life. Unlike the cottage atmosphere of British pubs, our “boozers”, often found sitting beneath a hotel, are ornate and stylish on the outside with broad balustrades and big verandas, whilst being uncomplicated on their inside. Million-dollar fit-outs don’t make a proper Aussie pub. You’ll find a plain timber bar (see below), plenty of cold beers on draft, maybe a pokie or 2 (gambling machines, not in all states), music, and the odd bit of neighbourhood gossip. Australian pubs are not stuffy. Everyone is welcome. There will probably be a couple of blokes there in high-vis fleece, coloured blue at the bottom and luminous yellow at the top. They may be swearing a lot, but now is their chance to relax too after a tough week. Australian pubs work because the locals get what the locals want. They listen to their customers' needs, practise a bit of that mateship I talked about last week, and provide somewhere where people from all walks of life can relax. I cherish how open the culture is here. A pub is a place to work things out. It is a place to grow closer to one another. It is an equaliser. Somewhere to wind down and not be so serious. I try to live this philosophy in my work at Results CRM... To treat all parties equally. To do what’s best for everyone. To build community. To reduce the stresses of changes... And when that works out, we sometimes celebrate with a drink – in a pub. - JB #community #happyfriday #worklifebalance Maximizer

Hi, I'm Jeremy. I have been back on LinkedIn for a short while and my oh my, have things changed since I was an eager jobseeker all those years ago. I'm trying to manage a business while also building out a personal presence here, so I thought I'd do an introduction post to break the ice a bit. My wife Nicole Reynolds and I are the proud owners of Longhouse Sheboygan as well as Escape Sheboygan - both located on Indiana Ave In Sheboygan. Longhouse Sheboygan is a 10 lane axe throwing venue that features a craft cocktail bar and a hand selected beverage program that is sure to get you excited. A prime location for corporate events, we have social programming available that goes beyond throwing axes. Bring your team in for a spirit tasting and #cocktail class. We also offer #catering services to #manufacturing workplaces. Our specialty is large food drops to lunchrooms. #hotfoodallshifts Escape Sheboygan started as a humble escape room enterprise and has grown into something much more. We have blended tools commonly found in corporate settings like #mbti, #discassessment, and #caliper (in progress) with the communication drill elements of #escaperooms, #boardgames, and other activities to deliver hard hitting #teambuilding options for local employers that are looking to do something more with their teams. Future Plans: 2024 is our break out year. #catering We launch, this afternoon, a campaign using WiscWebs that will expand our reach with #manufacturers in Eastern Wisconsin. Our #hotfoodallshifts messaging has been resonating with my corporate clients and its time for me to grow that business. #hempproducts 2023 saw a huge market open up with hemp-enhanced beverages like Cann, NOWADAYS, and the like. We will continue to drive this market in our area. By both offering beverages in our bar, as well as in our #retail shop. We are committed to expanding cannabis access in our area in whatever way we can. #nextgenteambuilding in collaboration with Dario Nardi and Joyce Meng, we are developing an escape room style #eeg protocol using technology from EMOTIV that will show what active #cognition looks like in multiple people at one time. Think of that. A picture of what #teamwork looks like at the brain level. This is an incomplete list, as I have a hundred other irons in a hundred other fires, but these are the ones that are on the front burner.

Intellectual stimulation (and income generation) while unemployed part II – make your own job! 😎   But first, a story: For those of you who know Toronto and nightlife in the city, information online about where to go for a night out is wildly outdated, directing consumers to bars and nightclubs that, no longer exist or are overpriced and filled largely with unfriendly consumers. This leads tourists to have consistently negative experiences with Toronto nightlife. For those that know the city, there are incredible nightlife spots to go to but most consumers (including me) often learn about them primarily through word of mouth. One of the highlights of most major cities in the world for consumers looking to enjoy nightlife is their pub crawls (aka bar tours, bar crawls or bar-hopping). This gives consumers the opportunity to visit several local hot spots in one night, meet other people in a fun, relaxed atmosphere and go to bars and nightclubs for reduced prices. For whatever reason this didn’t exist in Toronto. So in an effort to: 1. Improve consumers’ perceptions of Toronto nightlife/help them make better nightlife choices 2. Bring the fun of pub crawls of cities like Amsterdam, London, Berlin and Prague to Toronto I launched pubcrawltoronto.com this past September! You can even check out pictures from our crawls on Instagram at https://lnkd.in/gsj_Ts-6 ! Fun yes, but also helps keep my marketing brain sharp: -Built and have been managing relationships with influencers to attend and promote the pub crawl on Instagram and Tik Tok -Been keeping up with SEO and SEM best practices to get the crawls discoverable on as many websites as possible -Taught myself how to make a website on Wordpress! All of this has led to over $10k in ticket sales in less than 6 months! 🤯   Definitely not enough to live off of but money’s money!   So if you’re looking for a fun night out in Toronto (or your kids for those with gen-z/millennial adult children in my network) or want to associate your brand with fun nights out in Toronto, you know what to do! Labatt Breweries of Canada AB InBev Heineken Canada Molson Coors Beverage Company #entrepreneurship #startups #startupmarketing #influencermarketing #tourism #nightlife

Good morning and welcome to the Hoodies News and Views… As an FYI yes I am planning to run in some capacity at the next City of Melbourne council elections, in what capacity that remains to be seen but I am unquestionably going to be involved in some way, so watch this space! But in the meantime it’s time to actually start coming up with some real solutions to issues being faced by CBD businesses! I think I’ve mentioned before my favourite walk in Melbourne is to walk up from the Shrine under the tree canopies, past the VCA possibly hearing a tuba practicing or a cello, cross over to walk past the National Gallery, take in the arts centre, walk across princess bridge, then head alongside Flinders Street station taking a left at the clocks and past City Hatters. Cross over Flinders Street and head up Degraves street taking in all the small cafes and restaurants, crossing over Flinders lane passing through more small shops and cafes once filled with people…out into Collins Street, crossing over into the Block Arcade with its old world charm and soul…passing Haighs into the narrow laneway home to the soul of hospitality then across Little Bourke Street and onto Bourke Street ending…throughout that walk you see the soul of Melbourne. The people who have had businesses in the CBD for years but sadly every time I do my favourite walk there are yet more For Lease signs up. Over the weekend we read about how badly things have got for the regional areas and now with the closure of the Teage Ezard owned Gingerboy there is something very wrong in the state of Victoria! Now it’s easy to understand where the blame lies for the current economic outlook in the state of Victoria and the country at large, but how do we fix it? From a council perspective we need to bring more workers back to the CBD. Why are the public sector at home when they of all people should be leading the way! Council workers back in the city 60% of the week but given feee public transport. We need to make the CBD more accessible to people, so anyone who works in the CBD gets discounted public transport, bike lanes are removed where they aren’t being used and street parking re-established, with cheaper rates on weekends. E scooters are given strict rules of operation and we focus on bringing people back to CBD restaurants during the week by starting a restaurant of the week scheme… We cannot and we must not allow the soul of our city to be destroyed! No matter which side of the political divide you sit we are all united in the fact that we genuinely want to bring the CBD back to life at all times of the day…these upcoming council elections have to be based on a common sense approach and making sure that rate payers and Victorians at large are getting value out of their CBD. Why save Melbourne? Because it matters!

Very interesting article, informative and detailed.

Many ‘place makers’ have been promoting ‘leisure use’, to replace vacated department stores, to act as alternative anchors and replace footfall lost to trade switching to Retail Parks and ‘online’ Unfortunately, a toxic mix of high business rates, VAT, energy, food & wage inflation, unreliable (strike impacted) expensive public transport, the increase in WFH and town centre parking costs, have left many hospitality operators, ‘teetering on the brink of insolvency’, as more of the public ‘stay at home’ Despite this, rather than supporting existing leisure operators, many councils are still buying ‘empty’ shopping centres, ‘hoping’ that new leisure operators, will encourage trade to return to town centres, which looks to be a high risk strategy, in towns like Fareham, when you consider the impact of the nearby Whiteley Shopping / Leisure Development (where M&S etc relocated) and the experience / plight of other Councils like Croydon https://lnkd.in/dJZGV3qS https://lnkd.in/dCnhUrhK https://lnkd.in/dFEd-t3G https://lnkd.in/dQTqWsz

🏈💼 The Super Bowl Effect: Beyond Touchdowns and Trophies 🌆💰 As the excitement builds for the upcoming Super Bowl, it's not just about touchdowns and trophies. Let's talk about the financial impact this iconic event brings to its host city! Did you know that hosting the Super Bowl can inject millions, if not billions, into the local economy? Estimates suggest that the financial impact of hosting a Super Bowl can range anywhere from $300 million to over $500 million, depending on various factors such as the host city's size, infrastructure, and tourism appeal. Here are a few key points to consider: 1️⃣ Tourism Boom: The Super Bowl attracts fans from across the country and around the globe, leading to a surge in hotel bookings, restaurant reservations, and overall tourism spending. This influx of visitors means big bucks for hotels, restaurants, bars, and attractions in the host city. 2️⃣ Business Opportunities: Small businesses often experience a significant uptick in sales during Super Bowl week. Whether it's merchandise shops, souvenir vendors, or local eateries, the increased foot traffic translates to increased revenue for these establishments. 3️⃣ Job Creation: Hosting the Super Bowl requires a massive workforce to handle everything from event logistics to hospitality services. This means job opportunities for locals, ranging from event staff and security personnel to hospitality workers and transportation providers. 4️⃣ Infrastructure Investments: In preparation for the big game, host cities often invest in infrastructure improvements and beautification projects to enhance the visitor experience. These investments not only benefit residents in the long term but also help stimulate economic activity during the event. 5️⃣ Media Exposure: The Super Bowl puts the host city in the global spotlight, providing invaluable media exposure that can boost tourism and business development long after the final whistle blows. This heightened visibility can attract future events, conferences, and investment opportunities. As we gear up for Super Bowl Sunday, let's not overlook the profound economic impact this event brings to its host city. From driving tourism to creating jobs and fostering economic growth, the Super Bowl is more than just a game—it's a catalyst for prosperity. Here's to a touchdown for the economy! 🚀💼 #SuperBowl #EconomicImpact #BusinessGrowth #CommunityProsperity

So 2024 I see as a huge year of growth in Scotland indeed the whole of the UK for ( see “ commercial to holiday let by Gordon Thomson” Facebook group) The reason is clear - if is the other side of the coin of Government, both National and Local policy of restricting supply of holiday short term let - domestic property converted for this purpose out - redundant commercial in We need investors to take advantage of the opportunity and since the demand and suitable properties is far more than even we can cope with - I suggest interested investors and developers first step is join my Facebook group - wealth of information there 2023 saw us at houseofdanu.co.uk complete and successfully open and trade three aparthotels amounting to 24 letting units ( that’s a lot of work by the way - lot of lessons learned on obtaining correct properties, finance, investors , construction, planning ) - combined value £7.45 million - time to share that knowledge Why is it such a great strategy for all involved - it’s a strategy of increasing value greater than commercial conversion to residential , no delay between completion and sale and a way of retaining property with 30% equity that generates excellent profits starting from zero or close thereto. So I go into the figures and the strategy in my Facebook group “ Commercial conversion to holiday let by Gordon Thomson” - you need to request to join or if friends with me on Facebook simply join It’s a time of year for setting goals and New Year Resolutions but the step before doing so is to decide what wall you want to set your ladder against. You want to go with the flow ,the energy, push open doors already adjar - not fight to retain the past . Around the World Governments are restricting supply of short term let holiday homes, city apartments - yet the demand is still growing, hotels can’t take up the reduction in supply for group accommodation - we have found the way. It’s not rocket science - we need to convert non -residential to short term let and we need to do it quickly hence the huge opportunity in 2024 I can show you how - join me on “ Commercial conversion to holiday let by Gordon Thomson” and let’s all make a difference in 2024 #propertydevelopment #propertyinvestment #shorttermrental #aparthotel

Some days back, I had the opportunity to attend a guest speaker session by Ms. Tara McEwen, Founding, and Head, of McEwen Media, within the framework of the course AMM5010: Media Industry Issues taken under Professor Kate Teves at Humber College. Her insights have allowed me to see, in new ways, how people and businesses can make a difference in the world. It encouraged me to check out the #CafeTO initiative that happens to be underway at this moment in Toronto. CafeTO is a city-led program in Toronto that can be of great importance to the current restaurants and cafes, allowing more space outdoors. It mainly came in after several hard times the hospitality sector was going through due to the pandemic period. This substantially helped the hospitality business, community vibe, and renewal of public spaces. Of all sectors, the hospitality sector has been the worst hit by COVID-19. Under restrictions on indoor dining, many businesses had no choice but to close. CafeTO directly attacks this problem with temporary permits, allowing restaurants and cafes to extend seating capacity onto sidewalks and curb lanes. This additional seating has proven integral to continuing the recovery of businesses from immediate financial losses and thus helping them hold on to employees. I chose to share CafeTO because it is resonant with the principles of Tara McEwen's presentation about showing something positive and lending a voice to those who otherwise have none. The competitive nature of the business space makes it really difficult for local restaurants and cafés, especially small businesses, to survive—they were made even worse by the pandemic, and thus CafeTO and other initiatives are pivotal to its enablement and prosperity. What's special about CafeTO is that it has a multi-dimensional impact. In providing direct economic relief, community and a feeling of belonging are being fostered. It created new social spaces that were safe for people to come together and dine outdoors in the atmosphere, tightening the bonds within a community even closer. This initiative supports active transportation by encouraging outdoor activities for public health and well-being. CafeTO is a glittering example of how a city can work with and help its local businesses grow while making important life-enhancing contributions to a community and public spaces. With the provided outdoor dining space, it has helped in business revival from pandemic shock and has made Toronto more vibrant and better-connected. It presents innovation case studies and community solidarity in building resilience and growth. I shared this report on LinkedIn to spread the word about the impact of CafeTO and inspire others in the community to do similar things. Helping local businesses and creating welcoming public spaces are two steps that will make our cities more resilient. Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/gETeYf6h