EXCLUSIVE: Wetherspoons Targets Merchant City Site
Pub giant in talks to take over former Metropolitan Bar — but will it revive or ruin the area?
EXCLUSIVE by Gary Fanning
Wetherspoons is eyeing up a new venue in Glasgow’s Merchant City, The Splash can reveal.
The pub giant is in talks to take over the former Metropolitan Cocktail Bar and Restaurant in Candleriggs, which closed last year after struggling to keep up with soaring costs.
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A source told The Splash: “There have been people in measuring up. Someone recognised the Wetherspoons area manager.”
A Wetherspoon spokesperson confirmed: “Wetherspoon is in discussions regarding the site, but nothing is signed or sealed.”
If the deal goes through, this would become the chain’s sixth city centre location, joining The Crystal Palace on Jamaica Street, The Sir John Moore on Argyle Street, The Society Room on West George Street, The Hengler’s Circus on Sauchiehall Street, and The Counting House on St Vincent Place, pictured below.
The chain, owned by Sir Tim Martin, reported sales growth of nearly 8% in the 12 months leading to July 2024 — despite downsizing from 950 pubs a decade ago to around 800 today. In the last two years alone, Wetherspoons has offloaded more than 70 sites, including 30 closures in 2024.
The Metropolitan, once a Merchant Square favourite known for its sleek cocktails, live DJs, and buzzing late-night crowd, closed in September after 22 years — leaving more than 40 staff without jobs.
The sudden shutdown was blamed on a “perfect storm” of rising rent, unsustainable energy bills, and the lasting financial fallout from Covid — further compounded by £75,000 in business rates. While English venues received four years of rate relief, Scotland received none.
If Wetherspoons moves in, it could inject fresh life into the high-profile Merchant City site. However, the arrival of the budget pub chain may spark debate over what the area needs next — a big-name brand or a fresh, independent hotspot.