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The Glasgow Business Awards 2010

 

01/09/2010 - Who gets your vote?


Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

Evening Times readers have been responding enthusiastically to the race to find Glasgow’s favourite business – and votes have been pouring in.

Six businesses – from a city centre shopping mall to a Cessnock firm of decorators – have been busy competing for your votes for the coveted 2010 title.

The six are: St Enoch Centre, Dumbreck Decorators, Fopp, Barrhead Travel, Greaves Sports and Fratelli Sarti.

On October 7, one of them will be declared the winner at a special event in the city’s Thistle Hotel, joining distinguished previous winners including Slater Menswear and Auchentoshan Distillery.

The Glasgow’s favourite business award, voted exclusively for by readers of the Evening Times, is part of the 13th annual Glasgow Business Awards, which are staged by the city’s Chamber of Commerce.

The lead sponsor is the Bank of Scotland, while the Evening Times is media partner.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said yesterday: “The favourite business category is always one of the most popular titles in the business awards, partly because it’s voted for by Evening Times readers and partly because it always brings together a diverse range of businesses. This year is no different. I’m delighted to see among the nominees a sports shop, a music retailer, a cafe/restaurant, a travel company, a shopping mall and a decorators’ firm. It’s a really colourful mix, and a reminder of the endless strength of Glasgow as a thriving retail centre. All of the contenders have done well to get this far – and one of them will be a worthy winner.”

Thanks for your votes so far – and please keep sending them to arrive by 5pm on Friday. Email your vote to news@eveningtimes.co.uk, with “Favourite Business” in the subject field, or send it by post to Glasgow’s Favourite Business, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB.

Aricle available at Evening Times.

 

27/08/2010 - Who will be our business winners?

The battle for the title of Glasgow’s Favourite Business is hotting up.

With only a week to go before voting closes, there has never been a more important time to make your vote count. The title, sponsored by the Evening Times, has six high-profile contenders. We have already put four in the spotlight – Fratelli Sarti, Greaves Sports, Barrhead Travel and Fopp – and today we look at the final two: the St Enoch Centre and Dumbreck Decorators.

Glasgow’s Favourite Business is part of the Glasgow Business Awards, which are run by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. They will be held at the Thistle Hotel on October 7. The lead sponsor is the Bank Of Scotland, while the Evening Times is media partner. The Favourite Business category is voted for by our readers.

NOMINEE - ST ENOCH CENTRE

The new glass frontage for the St Enoch Centre extension is a city landmark.

When the St Enoch Centre opened 21 years ago, Glasgow was a lot different to the city we know today. The 1990 Year Of Culture was still a few months away and Glasgow’s reputation as the best place for shopping in the UK outwith London was a long way off.

Yet it was the opening of the St Enoch Centre in May 1989 that kick-started the retail regeneration that continues to this day.

For a time the centre thrived, and co-existed with Princes Square in Buchanan Street, but in the late 1990s St Enoch was hit by the arrival of Buchanan Galleries and Braehead Shopping Centre. This was not the best of eras for St Enoch and it suffered a decline in its fortunes.

But in 2005 it was bought by Ivanhoe Cambridge, a specialist in retail destinations that recognised the value in developing what Susan Nicol, the centre’s general manager, terms as “the last large piece of retail real estate in the city centre”.

The first phase of a £150million redevelopment opened last November, and within a month St Enoch had broken all its previous customer records, attracting up to 500,000 shoppers a week. That success story, complete with new names such as Hamleys and H&M, and a 720-seat food court equipped with wi-fi, has continued. The eye-catching ‘glass box’ entrance on the corner of Argyle Street and St Enoch Square has become a landmark.

Anne Ledgerwood, the centre’s marketing director, says: “Getting Hamleys was a major boost for the centre. Redevelopment was expensive, but it simply reflects shoppers’ higher aspirations. When you come in, it has to look the part. But it is not just a case of looking the part. It is about getting the delivery of everything right. The retailers have to be right and the staff need to be what people want today ... ultra-polite and ultra-helpful. We thought of changing the name at one point, but we found there was a great deal of loyalty and affection towards the current name. They told us, ‘Don’t change the name, but make the place better’.”

Which is what has been achieved – and that is why the centre has been nominated for the title of Glasgow’s Favourite Business.

Doctor Who actress Karen Gillan will be in Hamleys tomorrow from 12.00 noon - 2.00 pm for her first in-store signing event.

NOMINEE - DUMBRECK DECORATORS

Brendan Keenan, far left, and some of his team from Dumbreck Decorators.

Three years ago, the Princess Royal said she would like to visit Chatelherault, the 18th century hunting lodge of the Dukes of Hamilton. As it was going to mean a major royal visit, bosses at South Lanarkshire Council, which manages the venue, asked Dumbreck Decorators, of Cessnock, Glasgow, to redo the house’s key historic rooms and visitor centre. It was a complicated job, involving detailed cornice work, multi-coloured surfaces and the need to keep to the original colour scheme. And it all had to be done within 10 days. The work was completed, and Princess Anne liked what she saw when she visited Chatelherault.

“That was an interesting job,” says Brendan Keenan, 62, Dumbreck’s private works estimator.

The firm was started by Mr Keenan and wife Roz in 1973.

“We built it up over the next 25 years and employed around 30 people, and bought another company in 1989,” he says.

“We sold it to an Edinburgh company 10 years ago, but both of us are still here as part of the management, although on a part-time basis. We have not been able to walk away from it.”

Dumbreck, which employs 70 painters in Glasgow, as well as 15 apprentices, specialises in high-profile redecorating projects and ordinary domestic jobs, such as kitchens and living rooms.”

Its better-known customers include Princes Square and the upmarket Mar Hall, at Bishopton, Renfrewshire.

One of Dumbreck Decorators’ supervisors recently drove to Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, to hang hand-made silk wallpaper in a house occupied by Billy Connolly’s next-door neighbour.

“The occupants apparently lend their garden when Billy hosts friends attending the nearby Lonach Gathering and Highland Games,” says Mr Keenan. We did One Devonshire Gardens when it opened 26 years ago and also Loch Lomond Golf Club when it opened. The SECC is a regular customer. It’s a point of pride with us that we have done 45 churches, of all denominations, in the last 10 years. Five years ago we won a Best in Britain award for our work at St Aloysius’ RC Church in Garnethill. We now have a team in the city’s St Andrew’s Cathedral.”

The company has an annual turnover of about £6million and Mr Keenan adds: “We are delighted to have been nominated for the title of Glasgow’s Favourite Business after all this time – and we’re flattered too.”

Craig McNaughton, west Scotland area director at Bank Of Scotland, said: “All the companies nominated for a Glasgow Business Award have made a big contribution to the city’s commercial landscape. The ceremony is an opportunity for the best to be recognised for their achievements in many areas, including staff relations, marketing and customer service. With a wide range of industries and sectors represented, Glasgow is one of the premier business locations in Scotland and the awards are a showcase for the city’s business talent.

“Bank Of Scotland’s continued sponsorship of the awards reiterates our commitment to supporting Glasgow’s businesses, and we would like to wish all nominees the best of luck.”

E-mail your vote to news@eveningtimes.co.uk, with “Favourite Business” in the subject field, or send it by post to Glasgow’s Favourite Business, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3QB. The deadline for votes is 3 September 2010.

Article available at Evening Times.

 

12/08/2010 - Votes have started to pour in for the title of Glasgow’s Favourite Business.

The title, which has been won in previous years by Auchentoshan Distillery and Slater Menswear, is part of the Glasgow Business Awards, run by the city’s Chamber of Commerce.

The 13th annual awards, the top event of the Glasgow Chamber Of Commerce, will this year be held at a ceremony and dinner at the city’s Thistle Hotel on Thursday, October 7.

The leading sponsor is the Bank Of Scotland, while the Evening Times is media partner.

The category for Favourite Business sees readers of the Evening Times vote to decide the winner.

We have already profiled two of the six nominees – Fratelli Sarti and Greaves Sports. Today it is the turn of Barrhead Travel and Fopp.

NOMINEE: BARRHEAD TRAVEL



Bill Munro and daughter Sharon with Barrhead Travel staff.

In today’s 24-hour, non-stop culture, it is hard to remember a time when travel agencies closed when it suited them, making it awkward for families to book holidays.

Bill Munro was not too impressed by what he saw 35 years ago, so the company he started set out to do things differently.

Today, the company, Barrhead Travel, is one of the top names in its field, and some 150,000 people book their holidays through it.

Mr Munro said: “I had decided to start the business because I was looking for a change in career, having worked in a bank and then in sales and marketing, and I saw travel as an opportunity.

“The service travel agents were giving in those days could have been better – they were closing for half-days on Wednesdays and didn’t open on Saturdays or Sundays. And if you wanted to book anything after 5pm, you had had it.

“Booking a holiday is usually a joint decision involving both partners and whenever they can get together is when they want to book.”

The company started with a staff of just three in Barrhead, but it eventually began to grow, and also helped change the public face of the industry in Scotland.

“What I think we did,” says Mr Munro, “is bring some marketing tactics to travel and that we should be open all hours. We were one of the first to open all day on Sundays, many years ago.

“At the moment, we are open in Glasgow until 9pm in the summer and 8pm in the winter, and we have a network of home-workers who answer the phone up until 11pm.”

Barrhead Travel, Scotland’s largest independent travel agency, has more than 400 staff in 16 outlets, and also has a number of call centres – 45% of its business comes through internet, with customers doing research on the firm’s various websites.

Most of its business is done at the 11,000sq ft ‘superstore’ in Oswald Street in Glasgow city centre. There are also branches at Silverburn, Pollok; Glasgow Fort, Easterhouse; Glasgow Airport; Bearsden; Newton Mearns; Saltcoats; and, of course, Barrhead.

This year it launched its first own-brand package holiday flights from the airport.

The company has also made successful inroads into the English market, to the extent that a quarter of its business originates from there.

Mr Munro adds: “We’re delighted to have been nominated for the business award.

“We do, however, have a saying that you put your staff first and your customer second, the theory being that if you look after your staff, they will look after your staff. Believe me, it does work.”

The company has won several awards, including the title of Best Large Travel Agent in Scotland every year from 2001 until 2010, at the Travel Agency Awards in London.

Mr Munro, as chairman, received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the retail travel sector.

A key chapter in the company’s history began in October 2007, when his daughter, Sharon, led a multi-million-pound management buy-out from him to become the majority shareholder.

Mr Munro, 65 is now chairman – “and semi-retired” – but still takes a daily interest in the business he started.

NOMINEE: FOPP



Manager Matt Rowe, far right, and his team at the Fopp store in Union Street.

Fopp has come a long way since its earliest days in Glasgow in 1981, when it was launched from a market stall by Gordon Montgomery.

In those days, music fans bought vinyl or cassettes. CDs were still a few years off, and as for downloads – forget it.

Nearly 30 years later, Fopp is still with us, selling CDs and vinyl as well as books, DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and other items. It is especially strong on new music from the indie and rock fields. Its clientele includes everyone from students in their late teens to people in their 50s.

But it has not been easy. The chain went into administration three years ago but was rescued by HMV, which kept open a number of Fopp stores, including the ones in Union Street and Byres Road. The Union Street store is one of the nominees for Glasgow’s Favourite Business.

Despite being owned by HMV, Fopp has clung to its distinctive character and approach.

Matt Rowe, manager at Union Street, used to work in the Byres Road shop and has worked with HMV for 10 years.

“I think there is a lot of a cult following when it comes to Fopp,” he says. “It has not changed that much over the years, but what we have tried to do in this shop over the last year is to incorporate more of what Fopp is all about.

“We have put in a bigger vinyl section, for example, because we recognise how hard it is to get a decent catalogue in Glasgow.”

He is also pleased with the “genius” way the three-storey shop is laid out.

“You get kids coming in for the kids’ DVDs upstairs, an area that is a lot quieter than the more rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere downstairs.”

A popular section is the array of classic CDs at bargain prices arrayed along the rear wall of the ground floor. There’s also a good range of vinyl – new as well as vintage.

Mr Rowe says: “There was a woman in here the other day. She was in her late 30s, early 40s, and she said to me, ‘You’ve just taken me back to my childhood’.”

Email your vote to news@eveningtimes.co.uk, with Favourite Business in the subject field, or send it by post to Glasgow’s Favourite Business, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Deadline for votes is August 30.

‘The best of luck to all our nominees’


Craig McNaughton, West Scotland Area Director at Bank Of Scotland, said: “All of the companies nominated for a Glasgow Business Award have made a big contribution to the city’s commercial landscape.

“The ceremony is an opportunity for the best to be recognised for their achievements in many areas, including employee relations, marketing and customer service.

“With a wide range of industries and sectors represented, Glasgow is one of the premier business locations in Scotland and the awards are a showcase for the business talent in the city.

“Bank Of Scotland’s continued sponsorship of the awards reiterates our commitment to supporting Glasgow’s businesses, whatever sector they operate in, and we would like to wish all the nominees the best of luck.”

Article available at Evening Times.

 

30/07/2010 - Who'll be your favourite

A sports shop, a music retailer and a travel centre are among the firms all hoping for your vote in order to become Glasgow’s favourite business. They are among the six businesses short-listed in the high-profile category in the annual Glasgow Business Awards.

Come October 7, at a special event at the Thistle Hotel, one of the six will become the latest winner of the coveted title, joining an illustrious list of previous winners, which includes the Q snooker club, Slaters menswear and Auchentoshan Distillery.

The lucky six are: Fopp Records, Greaves Sports, Fratelli Sarti, the St Enoch Centre, Barrhead Travel and Dumbreck Decorators.

They were nominated by readers – either because they have, in your opinion, contributed something to Glasgow, or helped reinforce the city’s reputation as a major retail presence.

The business awards are staged by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. The Evening Times is the media sponsor, while the headline sponsor is the Bank of Scotland.

Today we profile two of the six – Fratelli Sarti and Greaves Sports. Later we’ll turn the focus on the other four.

Meantime, you can already cast your vote for Glasgow’s favourite business.

Email your vote to news@eveningtimes.co.uk, with “Favourite Business” in the subject field, or send it by post to Glasgow’s Favourite Business, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Deadline for votes is Friday, August 30.

NOMINEE - FRATELLI SARTI

Patricia Diamond (centre in the black, yellow and white top), her fellow directors, and some staff at the Sarti’s restaurant in Bath Street.


If you were to walk blindfolded into Fratelli Sarti in Wellington Street, you would still know where you were – assuming your sense of smell was intact.

The familiar lunchtime smells of coffee and freshly-made food are the same as they have always been here, since August 1992, when the restaurant was opened by brothers Sandro and Piero Sarti. They had previously worked at another Glasgow institution – Fazzi’s cafe-bar in Cambridge Street.

In the 18 years since, Sarti has become one of the top Italian names in Scotland’s restaurant scene, keeping itself authentically Italian by continuing to source much of its food supply from that country.

It extended round the corner into Bath Street in 1995, then opened a new venue in Renfield Street in 2000.

More recently, it has established a presence in Balloch, at picturesque Loch Lomond, one of Scotland’s prime tourist destinations.

Since a £5million management buyout in May 2008, Sarti’s trading business has been run by six directors – Sandro’s daughter Daniela Sarti, Patricia Diamond, Michele Arrighi, Renato Cimmino, Patrick Collins and Vicky Black.

“We are delighted to have been nominated for Glasgow’s Favourite Business,” said finance director Patricia. “As a business we are doing fine, and have been holding our own in this current climate. We’ve been around a long time and it is always good when we get recognition in this way.”

The Italian connection remains key at Sarti. The coffee recipe follows the one that was originally brought over here by Sandro and Piero’s great-grandfather, and the same applies to the restaurant’s famed sausage.

It has hardly escaped Sarti’s attention that Glaswegians, in common with most other Scots, love their Italian food.

“I can’t think of anything you could get in Italy that you wouldn’t want,” says Patricia. “All of Italy’s products are so adaptable, and many of them have a healthy-eating aspect, plus there are all the different tastes, smells and flavours to take into account. Sometimes you can go to another country and maybe be slightly hesitant when it comes to trying some food. But in Italy, you can get a feel for what the food is going to be like, simply by looking at it.”

The Italian connection is present in other ways, too. Daniela Sarti’s family hail from Lucca, a medieval walled town in Tuscany, while the family of head chef Michele Arrighi are from nearby Barga, high in the Tuscan mountains.

Co-director Renato Cimmino comes from Sorrento.

Patricia and two of her colleagues have also just returned from a trip to Italy, visiting a couple of vineyards “to see if there’s anything new and interesting we can add to our vast wine-list.

“We hadn’t been to either of those vineyards before.”

Sarti’s turnover comes to some £3m across the three units.

“We get our fair share of the market,” she added, “and I think that’s down to the friendly atmosphere, our longevity, and the quality of the product.”

NOMINEE - GREAVES SPORTS


Miller Greaves is the fifth generation of the family to work in the sports shop business.


The recent World Cup in South Africa held millions of TV viewers spellbound for a month.

To the staff of one of Scotland’s best-known sports stores, however, the event was nothing new – not when the store they work for has witnessed no fewer than 19 of them.

The family behind Greaves Sports started trading in the 1930s and is one of Glasgow’s longest-established companies.

Managing director Sandy Greaves said: “We’re delighted to have been nominated for Glasgow’s Favourite Business and would be honoured to win the main award. Our family has traded in the city since 1930 and I’m pleased to say that business is stronger than ever with four stores and more than 100 staff. To put it in context, our shop has been open through 20 Olympic Games and 19 World Cups.”

Greaves’ roots can be traced back to the days when Sandy’s grandad, William, bought out the Birmingham and Leyland Rubber Company in its art-deco building in Gordon Street and re-named it the Clydesdale Rubber Company.

In the 1950s it went down the sports route. In the next decade, it bought rival Lumleys, which had a store in Sauchiehall Street.

The Gordon Street store became Greaves Sports in 1967, though it wasn’t until 1990 the Sauchiehall Street premises followed suit.

Today Greaves, which also has branches at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield and Hampden Park, caters to a huge field of sports enthusiasts, irrespective of whether their interests lie in football, rugby, cricket, golf, bowling, running, boxing, swimming, darts or squash.

Former staff members have included former Scotland keeper Alan Rough, top golfer Janice Moodie, and former Scotland and Glasgow rugby star Glenn Metcalfe.

Frank Bruno, Samuel L. Jackson and Eminem have all shopped there.

Greaves has also built up a wealth of signed memorabilia and sports goods that would be the envy of sports museums.

But the store has moved with the times. The golf department has two PGA-qualified professionals and golf simulators, and there’s video analysis to enable runners and skiers to get the best footwear.

Sandy added: “We’re proud to be part of this city and serve such a loyal customer base. Our staff wear shirts and ties, are mannerly and know the products – I don’t think that will ever be old-fashioned.”

Article available at Evening Times.

 

14/07/2010 - This is your Q to vote for top city business



Sanjay, left, and Vikas Sharma show off the award their firm won last year.

Don’t miss out on the chance to nominate your favourite city business for a Glasgow Business Award 2010.

The Monday deadline for entries is looming for you to tell us which businesses have done the city proud or has put something back into the communities.

The ever-popular category voted for by Evening Times readers returns as part of the Glasgow Business Awards 2010, which are bigger and better than ever.

They have four new categories and – despite the tough economic climate – six new sponsors.

The 13th annual awards, the flagship event of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, will this year be held at a ceremony and dinner at the city’s Thistle Hotel on Thursday, October 7.

The lead sponsor is the Bank of Scotland, while the Evening Times is media partner.

Of the 15 awards this year, the Favourite Business Award is the only one not decided by a Chamber judging panel.

Instead, we ask you to nominate businesses – and, later in the process, to vote for the companies on a shortlist.

Last year’s winner was the Q snooker club. Previous winners have included Slater Menswear (2008) and Auch-entoshan Distillery (2007).

For this year’s coveted title, we’d like you to nominate a Glasgow business you think deserves its share of the plaudits. It could be a local radio station, a department store, a music venue, a music shop, a hair or beauty salon, a travel agents, a cafe, a car showroom, a shopping mall. It could be one of the city’s many tourist attractions.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “We’re proud of the success of Glasgow’s dynamic business community and trust the Glasgow Business Awards 2010 will once again provide a fitting stage for us to toast those performing at the top of their game.”

Article available at Evening Times.

 

05/07/2010 - Taking Care of Business

The Q Club had a win last year.

The Glasgow Business Awards In the past you’ve voted for clothes shops, a snooker club, a distillery, a brewery and a theatre. Who will you make Glasgow’s favourite business this year?

The ever-popular category returns as part of the Glasgow Business Awards 2010, which are bigger and better than ever, with four new categories and – despite the tough economic climate – six new sponsors.

The 13th annual awards, the flagship event of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, will this year be held at an awards ceremony and dinner at the city’s Thistle Hotel on Thursday, October 7.

The lead sponsor is the Bank of Scotland, while the Evening Times is media partner.

Of the 15 awards this year, the Favourite Business Award is the only one that is not decided by a Chamber judging panel.

Instead, we ask you, readers of the Evening Times, to nominate businesses – and, later on in the process, to vote for the companies on a shortlist.

Last year’s winner was the Q snooker club. Previous winners have included Slater Menswear (2008); Auchentoshan Distillery (2007); Bradfords Bakers (2006); Internacionale and Au Naturale (2005); 5pm.co.uk (2004); Tennent Caledonian Breweries (2003) and The Pavilion Theatre (2002).

To get things underway, we’d like you to nominate a Glasgow business that deserves its share of the plaudits.

It could be a local radio station, a department store, a music venue, a music shop, a hair or beauty salon, a travel agents, a cafe, a car showroom, a shopping mall. It could be one of the city’s many tourist attractions.

It could be a business that, in your opinion, has given something back to Glasgow, or has helped reinforce the city’s reputation as a major player.

The new categories for this year are Happiest Healthiest Workplace, Tourism Event of the Year, Young Business Person of the Year and Best Use of Social Media.

New sponsors for 2010 include Glasgow Airport, GTG Training, Scottish Power, Radio Clyde, Health at Work and Thistle Glasgow Hotel.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Glasgow Business Awards is already an established and hugely popular event for city businesses, as last year’s record turnout testifies. However, our aim is to continue to grow its appeal.

“This is why, from the moment the closing speeches were made at last year’s event, we were already thinking ahead to 2010.

“The fruit of months of labour is the six new sponsors and four new categories – which is a terrific achievement in its own right.

“We are rightly very proud of the efforts and success of Glasgow’s dynamic business community and we trust the Glasgow Business Awards 2010 will once again provide a fitting stage for us all to celebrate and toast those who are performing at the top of their game.”

He added: “We are delighted to again enjoy the support of the Evening Times and all of our other valued sponsors.”

His colleague Richard Muir, commercial director, added: “These will be my first Glasgow Business Awards in my current role although I have been a regular attendee in previous years and was very much aware of what a successful, popular and respected event it is.

“That high opinion in which the awards are held made our job of securing new sponsors a little bit easier and I’d like to thank all our sponsors for their invaluable backing which enables us to stage an event befitting of Glasgow’s best businesses.”

* For more information, log onto www.glasgowbusinessawards.org. Application forms can be downloaded from www.glasgowbusinessawards.org/applications.asp

The Q Club


You might have thought that a snooker and pool club that has welcomed John Higgins, Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins and Steve Davis through its doors would be pretty happy with its profile.

But the Q Club, in Glasgow’s Charing Cross, found that the Glasgow’s Favourite Business award has done even more to spread the word.

The distinctive award is displayed behind the bar, where everyone can see it.

“It’s been really good for us, and we’ve had a great response to it from established members and new members alike,” says Sanjay Sharma, who runs the club with his uncle Lake, and his younger brother, Vikas.

“We were all delighted to have won - it really meant a lot to us, knowing that so many people took the time and trouble to vote for us.”

The club was opened 20 years ago, in 1980, by Lake’s father, Sagli. He had originally bought the premises for use as a centre for the Asian community, but when that plan didn’t materialise, a family friend who lived in Leeds, and played snooker, suggested using it as a snooker club.

Sagli knew nothing about the sport, but he went down to snooker star Willie Thorne’s club in Leeds to examine the set-up there. Thorne himself came up to Glasgow to help Sagli establish the new venture.

At the time, the family recalls, Glasgow only had dingy public snooker halls. The Q Club was the city’s first licensed club and, despite an original membership fee of £28, it managed to attract no fewer than 600 members in its first week.

The club currently has some 4,000 members - but the fee is only £10. Earlier this year, a second Q Club was opened, in Victoria Road, on the South side.

The Q Club has been chosen to host one of the pre-qualifying competitions for the new World Open, on Sunday, July 25. Both the Charing Cross and Victoria Road clubs will be used.

The tournament is the idea of snooker lynchpin, Barry Hearn, and the inaugural World Open will take place at the SECC in Glasgow in September.

Hearn recently told our sister paper, The Herald: “It will be like the FA Cup and will feature plenty of youngsters who have never been in front of the television cameras before.”

The pre-qualifiers will give amateur players the chance to mix with professional names. The winner of the Q Club event will join 19 other winners at the professional qualifying rounds in Sheffield in August.

At the SECC, the players will compete for the trophy and a prize fund of £500,000.

Said Sanjay: “We’re delighted to have been chosen to host one of the pre-qualifiers. There was a lot of hard work involved in getting it, as there were only 20 venues across all of the UK. It has made us really proud.”

Forty players have signed up so far. “We’re hoping to get up to 60, which would be excellent,” added Sanjay. “We’ll have all the best players in Scotland, and we understand there will be players coming up from down south as well.”

HOW TO NOMINATE

Write to Glasgow’s Favourite Business, Features Desk, Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow, G2 3QB. Or email news@eveningtimes.co.uk, marking it ‘Glasgow’s Favourite Business’.

Just tell us the name of the firm and why you think they deserve to be put forward as Glasgow’s Favourite Business. The deadline for all nominations is July 19.

Categories in the 2010 Glasgow Business Awards are:

Article available at Evening Times

 

The Glasgow Business Awards 2009

 

The Glasgow Business Awards 2008

 

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