67 Pall Mall to open in Melbourne in 2025
Speaking exclusively to Nimmi Malhotra, founder and CEO Grant Ashton shared the specifics of the new venue, which will be the one of the members club’s biggest sites, and its first in the southern hemisphere.
By Nimmi Malhotra / 06 December 2023
67 Pall Mall Melbourne will be located at 85 Spring Street, between Collins and Little Collins Street. Unofficially known as the Paris end of the Central Business District (CBD), the building looks over the Parliament Building, Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens. It fits the requirements of Ashton’s “on-the-way-home location”, as the building sits at the fringe of the CBD, close to Parliament Station, which seamlessly connects commuters to the city’s Metro train system.
“Melbourne offers an excellent new foothold for 67 Pall Mall in Australia”, shared Ashton. “We are very deliberately on the Paris end of Collins because we want to be near the residential areas of that part of Melbourne rather than be buried deep in the city.”
Melbourne’s city centre is considerably less populated post-Covid, with most people working in hybrid arrangements from home, and the city’s changing landscape influenced the members club’s location choice.
Despite the city’s declining business-hour footfall, Melbourne has gained over Sydney in nabbing the deal, as both cities were under equal consideration. “Part of the reason we have done Melbourne ahead of Sydney was because you’ve got that overlay of a wine city and a big city. Melbourne is the ultimate crossover city for us with 5 million+ people and wineries less than an hour away,” said Ashton.
67 Pall Mall’s new Melbourne site
The club received strong support from the State of Victoria, Invest Victoria and Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Sally Capp, who welcomed the investment of 67 Pall Mall, and said that the club “will add to Melbourne’s vibe as a hospitality hub while generating jobs and attracting more visitors.” Ashton estimates the club should add 120-140 jobs to the sector.
The 30-year lease was signed a few weeks ago, and work is due to start in the next 3-4 months. The club is slated to open its doors in mid-2025.
With 21,5000 sq. ft floor space, this will be the world’s largest 67 Pall Mall site. The club will be spread across three floors, including open-air balconies offering members uninterrupted views of Melbourne cityscapes, Treasury Gardens and Melbourne Cricket Club.
“We will have double ceiling heights between the 13th and 14th floors, which will feature a very large 7-metre-tall wine wall,” Ashton shared.
The wine wall’s format will be similar to the one in Singapore — only taller, longer, and single-sided.
Singapore’s wine wall
The 15th floor will house a Champagne, oyster, and whisky bar with an extensive display of Australian oysters and whiskies.
“Whisky isn’t all about Scotland anymore,” said Ashton. “There’s a burgeoning domestic whisky market including Tasmania whisky, Starward, etc.” With a defined whisky bar, 67 Pall Mall is geared to support Australia’s growing whisky culture.
Once ready, the club will offer multiple spaces, including a casual space, private function rooms for masterclasses and parties, and a formal dining space.
The wine list of 1000 by-the-glass options and 5000 wines by the bottle will showcase Victoria and Australian wines in stronger numbers over international wines and support local wineries with opportunities to be showcased throughout 67 Pall Mall’s global network of clubs, allowing for a wider international reach.
In terms of equity, the Melbourne outpost will require an investment of AU$35 million (£18.2m) compared to €17m (£14.6m) in Bordeaux.
“This is one of our biggest sites,” Ashton said — set to offer 400+ covers when completed, compared to 290 in Bordeaux and 240 in London.
Notably, this will be Melbourne’s first wine-centric private members club of this scale with a mixed-gender membership on offer. The city still houses men-only member clubs like the Athenaeum and The Australian Club, whereas The Lyceum and The Alexandra Club offer women-only memberships.
67 Pall Mall Melbourne will continue to give access to all international 67 Pall Mall clubs with one membership fee and invite founding members to become equity partners in the Australian venture. The regular membership will be available soon at 67 Pall Mall with lower price points for those under 35 and industry members.
“The whole ethos of 67 Pall Mall is to make wine accessible,” said Ashton. “Our pricing model is such that we are able to give accessibility to fine wine to people at a lower price than in a restaurant.”
67 Pall Mall is based in London, Singapore and Verbier, with sites developing in Bordeaux and Beaune. Melbourne will be the first city in the southern hemisphere.
The Drinks Business article: 67 Pall Mall to open in Melbourne in 2025