News
A new chapter is set to unfold for an historic building on 217-221 Argyle Street in Glasgow after it was acquired by a well-known city hospitality business. The buyer, Blue Lagoon Fish & Chip Shops, a staple in Scotland since 1975, operates 17 branches across the country. However, it will not be the well-known fish and chip shop which occupies the building.
The Venetian-style, four-storey building, constructed in the 1870s, once housed the renowned Tower Records. It was here that Bon Jovi famously performed an acoustic set in 1995 from the second floor window to an audience of 5,000 fans on the street below.
Vacant for more than a decade, the B-listed property has seen numerous plans for transformation into a bar, restaurant, or nightclub, yet it has remained empty. Sexy Coffee, which shares owners with the Blue Lagoon fish and chip shops and first opened in Glasgow last year, will occupy the ground floor, while the upper floors will be transformed into office space or serviced apartments. This is part of an expansion plan for Sexy Coffee which hopes to settle in other major cities across the UK, such as London and Manchester.
A team of commercial property experts from law firm Harper Macleod, including partner Caroline Summers and senior associate Jenna McLean, advised Blue Lagoon on the acquisition.
Blue Lagoon director Alessandro Varese said: “We see reviving this historic building next to Central Station Bridge as a unique opportunity for the business. We aim to bring the full building back to life which I hope will be a good thing for the area and the city centre in general.”
Gianluca Varese, CEO of Sexy Coffee, said: “We look forward to this opportunity to showcase our brand which thankfully has proved popular since we opened on Gordon Street last year. Given this unit is more than double the size of our existing unit, we see this as a great challenge to elevate our design and broaden our menu offering.”
Jenna McLean said: “It’s been a privilege to work on this project with Alessandro and the Blue Lagoon team. Restoring this historic building and giving it a new lease of life is a great example of preserving Glasgow’s history whilst adapting to modern needs. We look forward to seeing Sexy Coffee thrive in this new location.”
The transformation of the long-vacant building into a coffee shop marks a significant milestone in Glasgow’s ever-evolving cityscape and also for Blue Lagoon, showcasing the company’s ability to adapt and thrive in new markets.
The new location is set to open its doors before the end of 2024 and will be a dynamic addition to Glasgow’s vibrant coffee scene.