Saturday 4 June 2022 04:19 AM Merivale hospitality king Justin Hemmes' ambitious plans for Melbourne pubs, a ... trends now
Justin Hemmes is set to take his biggest career risks by building a skyscraper and taking on a new city while continuing his hard-driving playboy lifestyle.
The billionaire pub baron plans to revamp the Ivy precinct by putting a tower on the site, develop his third entertainment zone in the Sydney CBD and shake up Melbourne's pub scene.
Hemmes confidently laid out his ambitious plans in a profile with Good Weekend, which also quoted friends and rivals backing his chances of success.
Billionaire Justin Hemmes is set to take his biggest career risks by building a skyscraper and taking on a new city while continuing his hard-driving playboy lifestyle. (pictured with model girlfriend Madeline Holtznagel)
Having split with the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler, Hemmes now dates 26-year-old model Madeline Holtznagel, whom he affectionately calls 'Maddie mumu' (she is pictured posing on the island he part owns, Haggerstone Island)
But the man himself was not forthcoming about the $129million class action against him.
The Federal Court case, run by Canberra law firm Adero, alleges his Merivale group failed to pay thousands of staff correct penalty rates between 2013 and 2019.
Hemmes would only say only his staff are 'the most important' element of the business and they know he is 'passionate about caring' for them.
That's despite Federal Court testimony alleging some staff were expected to work 100-hour weeks.
Justin Hemmes is known to adore his 90-year-old mother, Merivale (pictured, with her husband John Hemmes) - who Hemmes' billion-dollar empire is named after
Young Justin Hemmes is pictured with his late father John, who became a successful businessman in the property market after emigrating from Europe. He survived a horrific spell as a World War II prisoner-of-war
Having split with the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler (pictured), Hemmes now dates model Madeline Holtznagel, whom he affectionately calls 'Maddie mumu'
Adero said it expects a settlement in the case in June.
One area where Hemmes' freely admits 'guilt' is in enjoying his famously racy lifestyle.
Having split with the mother of his two children, Kate Fowler, Hemmes now dates model Madeline Holtznagel, whom he affectionately calls 'Maddie mumu'.
At 26 years old she is 23 years younger than Hemmes, who turns 50 this August.
In mid-May he shared a video of Ms Holtznagel on his back while kite-surfing on holiday in New Caledonia, captioned with Snoop Dogg lyrics 'when the pimp's in the crib drop it like its hot'.
Hemmes plans to revamp the Ivy precinct by putting a tower on the site, develop his third entertainment zone in the Sydney CBD and shake up Melbourne's pub scene
Hemmes is set to build another buzzing Merivale zone around the Hotel CBD on King Street in Sydney
In the past year Hemmes has also begun serious moves on the Melbourne pub scene. Pictured is the Lorne Hotel on the Great Ocean Road which Hemmes bought for $38million
He also bought the seven-storey 1853 Tomasetti House, on Flinders Lane, in 2021 for $43million
Ms Holtznagel also shared photos of the kitesurfing adventure and of herself in a skimpy
