Billionaire brothers to turn Watt Brothers building into hotel

Planning permission has been approved for the £23m redevelopment of the B-listed former Watt Brothers building in Glasgow's city centre.

Billionaire brothers Sandy and James Easdale, who own bus operator McGill's, plan to transform the long-vacant site into a boutique hotel with about 100 guestrooms.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said the development was a welcome investment and a significant vote of confidence in the city centre and its future.

The former Watt Brothers store is a well-known part of Glasgow's retail heritage, dating back to the late 19th century when it operated as a popular department store serving generations of shoppers.

The family business began when Allan Watt opened a Glasgow drapery in the late 1800s and moved to the Sauchiehall Street location in 1915.

The store was a gem of the city's retail market until its collapse into administration and closure in 2019.

Hundreds of jobs were lost and the building was left vacant.

The Easdale brothers purchased the building at 119 to 121 Sauchiehall Street in 2019 and proposed to convert it into a hotel but their application was turned down in September 2022.

A revised application, submitted to the council the following year, has now been approved.

Plans state there will be a retail unit on the ground floor, a food and drink offer for both guests and the public and a fitness suite for hotel visitors.

Sandy Easdale said the project would breathe new life into a key historic building while contributing to the wider regeneration of Glasgow's city centre.

"We are absolutely delighted to have secured planning permission for this landmark development, which signals strong confidence in Glasgow city centre at a crucial moment," he said.

His brother James Easdale said: "This marks a hugely significant step forward - not only for the building itself, but for the broader revitalisation of the city centre.

"We have worked closely with partners to ensure the development respects the building's architectural heritage while creating a sustainable new use that will keep it active for generations to come."