GLASGOW COMMUNITY PUB CELEBRATES REOPENING FOLLOWING £150,000 MAKEOVER
The Imperial Bar on Howard Street in Glasgow reopened on Tuesday 3rd December following a transformational refurbishment of £150,000. The pub is part of Proper Pubs, the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, which has more than 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.
This latest refurbishment brings the total amount invested by Proper Pubs across its estate in Scotland to almost £600,000 over the last 12-months.
Behind the bar is passionate duo, Alex McMullan and Karen Joyce, who bring a wealth of experience to the pub having worked in the industry for 20 years. Local to Glasgow, the pair bring invaluable insight of the surrounding area as well as fantastic knowledge and expertise which will ensure The Imperial Bar can sit at the heart of the community for years to come.
Inside, the pub has undergone an impressive refurbishment to refresh the overall look and feel of the pub whilst retaining as much of its original character and features as possible. Throughout, the pub has been redecorated to include a bright new colour scheme as well as brand new fixtures, fittings and flooring. Additionally, the pub’s central entertainment system – including new televisions – bolster its exciting new karaoke offering. Externally, the pub has received brand new lighting and signage to welcome customers.
To celebrate the reopening, the pub will be hosting a live performance from local artist, Martin Turnball, from 7:30pm on Friday 6th December. The entertainment will continue during the course of the weekend with live singer Audrey Banks from 3pm on Saturday 7th, followed by a DJ set from local performer, DJ Ronnie, at 7:30pm.We will also have live singers on Sunday afternoon from 4-8pm.
Karen and Alex McMullan, operators of The Imperial Bar, are excited about the reopening and said: “The Pub is looking absolutely fantastic already and it’s been amazing to see how quickly the vision has come to life!! We are very much looking forward to welcoming all our customers back to the show off the pub’s new look and everything it has to offer.
Going forward, we hope to support the local community in any way we can and will be starting off by collecting food for a local food bank and fundraising to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed.”
On top of the fantastic drinks selection, The Imperial Bar will run a busy schedule of entertainment including regular karaoke as well as quiz nights every other Thursday and live music on Sundays.
Alex and Karen also hope to introduce frequent fundraising events for causes close to both their, and the community’s hearts and are on the lookout for deserving charities and initiatives to support.
Matthew Gurney, Operations Director for Proper Pubs, said: “I am very excited to see The Imperial Bar reopen and I’m delighted to welcome Alex and Karen as the operators! The pub is looking incredible and we are just putting those final touches together to make sure the pub is ready to welcome the community back.
On behalf of the Proper Pubs team, we would like to wish Alex and Karen every inch of success for the future in making The Imperial Bar a fantastic community pillar.”
Proper Pubs is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives. In March, it was crowned Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards, and more recently raised nearly £100,000 in just three months for various local charities across the UK. In September 2024, the Group successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised for its UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has already saved 11 lives.
This year, operators across Proper Pubs’ estate have collected as many advent calendars as possible to donate to local charities and communities in need and are also encouraging their customers to write Christmas cards to those who will be experiencing loneliness this Christmas.
The Imperial Bar is located on Howard Street, Glasgow G1, 4AZ
