Mark Lappin’s One Leisure Group has bought the Partick Tavern in Glasgow’s Partick from Colin Beattie and has also entered into a tenancy with Star Pubs and Bars at Finnieston. The news comes as his tenure at Maggie Mays at Trongate comes to an end.
Mark told DRAM, “Our lease at Maggie Mays came to an end a while ago, and subsequently the premises was sold to Stephen Whyte and Oli Norman’s company. They did invite me to take a stake, but I decided to do my own thing. I did sell them the rights to Maggie Mays for a nominal price. Meanwhile I had been looking around for a while, and I got wind of the Partick Tavern and the opportunity to buy the freehold was too good to pass up. This is my own, but Paul Bright and Gerry Tartaglia, who are shareholders in the Finnieston pub which was Bannisters, will also be directors here. Although it will be Gerry that runs the Partick Tavern which will be called, “Bag o Nails’, after its refurbishment. It was the first place Jimi Hendrix ever played in.”
The Partick pub will open mid August while the old Bannisters (and Mark was keeping the name under wraps for the time being) will open at the end of August. Says Mark, “I’m aiming for it to be open in time for The Who concert at the Hydro.”
He concludes, “I’m delighted to be growing the company, and doing what I love, which is creating live music venues which offer good food and drink.”