G1 splashes £5.7m on site

Glasgow pub and bar operator G1 Group is spending an unprecedented £5.7m on a dramatic transformation of its flagship venue the Corinthian.

Set to reopen at the end of August, the five-storey, 1,600-capacity site will feature a walk-in casino and

private gaming rooms, plus a variety of themed bars and a basement nightclub.

More than 200 staff are being trained for the venue, which is described as "15 pubs in one".

The centrepiece restaurant will remain under the famous glass dome of the Grade A-listed 18th-century building that previously housed a bank and Glasgow's High Court.

Local artists have contributed to the design, which includes a 500,000-piece mosaic of a banknote on the floor of the speakeasy-style Bootleg Bar.

On the upper floors, the Charlie Parker piano bar, private dining areas and function spaces are targeted at corporate bookings. But G1 Group operations director David McDowall wants the Corinthian to continue to attract all types of customers.

"In our 10-year history this is the biggest project that we have ever worked on," he revealed.

"The idea is to extend the night out into gaming and clubbing all under the one roof.

"There will be nothing else like it in the country — probably nothing in Europe.

"It's a tough trading environment out there and the consumer is choosing where to spend their money, and this will keep us ahead of the game."

G1 has expanded steadily to 43 managed outlets — including two cinemas with bars — running alongside 110 tenancies in the Iona Pub Partnership division.

Once the Corinthian super-refurb is out of the way McDowall says the group will resume growth at the rate of three or four pubs per year.