A private members' club said to have welcomed celebrities including David Beckham and Alex Ferguson has shut down permanently.

The owners of 29, in Glasgow city centre, confirmed that it would not be re-opening after closing during the pandemic.

Occupying several floors of a 19th-century building on Royal Exchange Square, the venue included several spaces including an oyster bar, supper club and Moet & Chandon roof terrace bar and was popular with footballers and visiting celebrities.

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It was owned by Lynnet Leisure, the company overseen by Lynn Mortimer who is the daughter of former nightclub tycoon James Mortimer and was also a popular wedding venue.

In 2015, Times Out magazine described the venue as, "A discreet private members club next to the Gallery of Modern Art, where an individual membership fee of £180 a year will give you access to a sumptuous city centre complex with restaurant, oyster bar, roof terrace and more. "

It went on:"Although the venue sells itself as a space for business networking and events, it also suits those who like a degree of chic exclusivity with their evening prosecco."

The company owns Merchant City venue Citation and Rogano, which has also been closed for more than two years.

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Glasgow Times:

A spokesperson for the company said a planned refurbishment of Rogano is still going ahead but could not say when the restaurant is likely to re-open.

Lynnet Leisure has also closed The Chippy Doon the Lane, One Up Glasgow and Bread and Butter.

Stephen Montgomery, of the Scottish Hospitality Group, said more closures in the sector are inevitable.

He said: "I have no doubt there will be more to come.

"Rising utilities, rising supplier costs, back to full rates in Scotland, back to 20% VAT, recruitment crisis, cost of living crisis.

"It all has to come to a head somewhere, and unless we see some form of assistance from governments in both Holyrood and Westminster, not necessarily in a cash grant or hand out, but in an overhaul of the rates system here in Scotland, and a permanent lower VAT rate for hospitality as a starter, we will never see not just a recovery start in hospitality, but in retail too."

It comes after it was announced one of Glasgow's longest-running family-owned restaurants had been sold to a UK pub chain.

Ubiquitous Chip has been acquired by Metropolitan Pub Group, along with Stravaigin and Hanoi Bike Shop.

Glasgow has another private member's club based in Royal Exchange Square with a history that stretches back to 1825.


Memberships at the Western Club start at £378 for those aged over 26 and a new restaurant -Glaschu- was opened in July 2020.