Veteran club owner Donald MacLeod founded the venue over three decades ago
IT’S the end of an era in the Glasgow licensed trade as veteran club owner Donald MacLeod MBE puts The Garage nightclub up for sale after more than three decades.
MacLeod, who also owns The Cathouse nightclub in the city, won the SLTN Industry Achievement Award in 2015 and was appointed an MBE in 2020 for services to music. He has said that he is putting the famous venue on the market to focus on other business interests.
“Over three decades, the Garage has become an important cultural institution within Glasgow, indeed Scotland’s live music, grassroots and nightlife scene, and it has been an absolute privilege and honour to own and operate such a well-loved venue, whose history, energy, location and reputation has placed it on the world’s stage,” said MacLeod.
“As I start to focus on developing other areas of my media, promotion and leisure portfolios, this feels like the right time as we are sitting with a full gig diary, to pass the baton to a new owner, who along with our fantastic management team and staff, will help build on this incredible legacy.”
The club is on the market on a leasehold basis, with the sale being handled by property company CDLH. The current lease runs until 2038, but an extension can be agreed with the landlord as part of the transaction.
Peter Darroch of CDLH described The Garage as ‘a truly landmark venue with a reputation that extends far beyond Glasgow’.
“Opportunities to acquire assets of this stature are rare, and we anticipate strong interest from a range of buyers seeking to build on its established legacy,” said Darroch.
