Justin Hemmes buys Woollahra's Hotel Centennial

Another week, another pub acquisition for Justin Hemmes.

The Merivale chief executive has continued to expand his hospitality group's eastern suburbs portfolio with the purchase of Woollahra's Hotel Centennial.

Merivale will receive the keys to the historic Oxford Street pub on December 12 and begin trading immediately.

The Centennial acquisition comes on the back of Hemmes snatching up Bondi's Royal Hotel a fortnight ago for more than $30 million.

A Merivale spokesperson would not confirm how much Hemmes paid for Hotel Centennial however the figure is rumoured to be around $13 million.

The Anthony Medich-led Halcyon Hotel group purchased the dilapidated venue for $6 million in early 2014 and transformed it into one of the eastern suburbs' most glamorous pubs.

Chefs Ben Greeno (The Paddington) and Danielle Alvarez (Fred's), already on the Merivale roster, will preside over the new Centennial menu.

There is no official word on what that menu will look like, however Good Food understands it will be similar to the produce-led contemporary Australian fare at Alvarez and Greeno's existing venues.

Merivale now counts more than 65 hospitality venues in its portfolio including the Collaroy Hotel and Enmore's Vic on the Park, also purchased in 2017.

Chef Justin North has lead the Centennial kitchen since 2014 after the collapse of his Becasse restaurant group. North announced his departure from the luxe pub in September.