JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group has released the findings of its inaugural Pubs Investor Sentiment Survey for 2024. Being the first of its kind carried out within the industry, the initiative uncovered compelling insights on investment sentiment, gathered from some of the nation’s most prolific publicans. 

Seeking views from a varied cross-section of some of the industry’s key stakeholders, the survey gathered insight on aspects such as current trading performance, key operational challenges, current appetite market appetite and importantly, their view of the future, as consumer behaviour continues to evolve.

In findings concurrent with the recent uplift in market movement, the survey revealed that two-thirds of the respondents expressed interest in purchasing a pub asset within the next 24 months. However, 83% of respondents cited finding the right opportunity was highlighted as the biggest hurdle in securing new acquisitions.

Commenting on the survey findings, Ben McDonald, Executive Director, JLL Hotels, commented; "The Pubs Investor Sentiment Survey 2024 provides valuable insights into the current sentiment of the Australian hospitality industry. Providing the market a voice in which to share their views on a national platform."

“2024 has certainly been one of the more dynamic years witnessed within our industry, with the nation’s publicans charting their course through economic pressures, fuelling the need to implement new strategies to sustain their business. We took the view that now is a better time than ever to conduct this initiative, and we look forward to continuing our annual surveys into the future to provide our market the opportunity to be heard.

JLL’s Pubs Investor Sentiment Survey also had one eye on the future and discussed the performance outlook for the industry, indicating cautious optimism for 2024 and a more positive sentiment for 2025.

Comprehensive findings on the JLL’s 2024 ‘Pubs Investor Sentiment Survey’ can be requested by contacting a member of the JLL Hotel & Hospitality Group’s national pubs team.