Nick Giles

Head of Hospitality New Zealand, with $130m+ in hospitality sales and a proven national track record

Nick Giles is LINK’s Head of Hospitality New Zealand, leading the national hospitality brokerage team. With more than $130 million in hospitality business sales and two decades of specialist sector experience, he brings a proven national track record to every transaction.

Experience at a glance
• Head of Hospitality New Zealand: Leads LINK’s national hospitality brokerage team. $130m+ in hospitality business sales: A career track record spanning the full range of the hospitality market.
• Two decades of hospitality experience: Experience across hospitality ownership, operations and business sales.
• Top 3 salesperson for more than a decade: Consistently ranked among LINK’s top-performing salespeople for over ten years.
• Two-time New Zealand and International Broker of the Year: Ranked #1 in both New Zealand and International Broker of the Year in 2016 and again in 2017.
• Five-time Chairman’s Club recipient: LINK Chairman’s Club — five-time recipient, with one Gold Chevron.

How Nick can help
• Positioning hospitality businesses: expertly presenting cafés, restaurants, bars and franchises to attract serious, qualified buyers.
• Valuing and presenting the business: reflecting its true trading performance.
• Managing a confidential sale process: from first enquiry through to settlement.
• Negotiating terms: working towards outcomes that work for both sides of the table.
• Working with landlords and franchisors: managing third parties where leases or franchise agreements are involved.
• Keeping everyone in step: coordinating vendors, purchasers and their respective advisers throughout the process.
 
Industry and business type experience
• Cafés and restaurants
• Coffee houses and quick service restaurants
• Bars and hospitality venues
• Franchise systems and franchisees
• Weddings and event businesses
• Coffee companies

Experience and approach
Nick brings a rare perspective to hospitality broking: he’s run the business himself. Two decades ago he spent six months researching cafés before buying, operating and eventually selling Roasted Addiqtion in Kingsland – experience that now shapes how he prepares and positions every hospitality business he sells.

That grounding in day-to-day trading, margins and staffing has kept him among LINK’s top-performing brokers for over a decade. Clients regularly point to his ability to read the financial and operational detail of a hospitality business and present it in a way buyers can see the value in.

Transaction experience
Nick’s transactions span the full range of the hospitality market, from small owner-operator businesses through to sales exceeding $3.9 million, with more than $130 million in hospitality businesses sold over the course of his career.

He is a well-known figure in New Zealand’s hospitality sales scene, and works easily alongside franchisors, financial advisers, lawyers and landlords to help both buyers and sellers reach the best outcome on every deal.

Buyer pool and network
Having guided hospitality business sales right across New Zealand, Nick has built an active database of buyers looking for the latest opportunities. Maintaining these relationships keeps him front of mind — both when a new acquisition comes up, and when those same buyers are ready to sell.

Recognition and achievements
• LINK Chairman’s Club — five-time recipient, with one Gold Chevron
• 2025 LINK Ellerslie Marketer of the Year — #1
• 2024 LINK Marketer of the Year, New Zealand — #2
• 2017 LINK Broker of the Year, New Zealand — #1
• 2017 LINK Broker of the Year, International — #1
• 2016 LINK Broker of the Year, New Zealand — #1
• 2016 LINK Broker of the Year, International — #1

About Nick
Outside of hospitality broking, Nick is a long-time music fan, a Clash devotee since childhood, whose passion for live music was cemented seeing The Police perform in Japan at age 10. He plays guitar and bass, and has a home recording studio he turns to when time allows. He’s also a familiar face around Auckland’s café and restaurant scene, something that comes naturally given his career, but that he’d happily do regardless.