Manly seaside dining institution Hugos has been sold to the new owners of Manly Wharf – Artemus Group.
This follows the Group purchasing Manly Wharf and Wharf Bar in June this year for $110 million, renovating and rebranding the Wharf Bar to family-friendly Felons, lodging plans to transform Aldi into a microbrewery and installing new, non-jumpable fencing.
So, What does Hugos creator and co-owner Dave Evans say about the major change?
“Hugos will remain the same, there will be no renovations or name change,” a resolute Dave Evans told Manly Observer last night.
“The staff are supportive as all management will stay the same, including Dave Corsi and myself.”
In fact, part of the deal is for Evans and Corsi to operate the day-to-day running of the business.
“Hugos is a Manly institution and will remain the same as it is, and we’re excited to be working with [Evans and Corsi], who will continue to operate the business day-to-day and ‘business as usual’,” Luke Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Artemus Group, added.
The sale, conducted by Andrew Jolliffe of specialist firm HTL Property, was negotiated over several months. Everyone is keeping quiet on the details of the sale (who approached who, how much did Hugos owners’ pocket from the sale? Were they given a choice? Was the lease up for renewal).
It was only a few years ago, in 2021, when rumours swirled about a buyer interested in acquiring Hugos, and, at the time, Evans did little to squash the rumours telling Manly Daily, “Any business is for sale at the right price.”
However, the deal between Artemus and the Hugos owners includes more than the acquisition of the restaurant, but also references ‘future ventures’.
“What makes this transaction so appropriately unique is the genuine desire for the two leading hospitality groups to contemplate new ventures together in the future,” Jolliffe said.
Evans told Manly Observer there’s potential for Hugos to go anywhere there’s a great location.
“We are excited to open new Hugos venues in the future with the owners of Manly Wharf,” he added.
For those of us old enough to remember, Hugos originally started off in Kings Cross as Hugos Lounge and Hugos Pizza Bar. However, the lockout laws forced both businesses to close in 2015.
Manly Observer will continue to keep an eye on future developments on the Wharf.
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