GLASGOW has emerged as the fastest-growing city in Scotland for new bar and restaurant openings in the last 12 months, as well as the fifth quickest riser for the hospitality industry for the whole of Great Britain.

A net 25 new sites opened in Scotland’s biggest city in the year to the end of June, which saw high-profile launches by local operators, such as the Anchor Line from the Di Maggio’s Restaurant Group on St Vincent Place, and by UK-wide companies like Bill’s, Five Guys and Cote Brasserie.

It means Glasgow enjoyed the highest number of net openings in Great Britain over the period, with its 5.2 per cent increase outpaced only by Leicester, Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds.

The figures are revealed in the inaugural Market Growth Monitor from AlixPartners and CGA Peach, a property adviser and drinks analyst, which found that the number of eating and drinking outlets grew by a net 1,770 in Great Britain in the year to the end of June.

The rise in the number of eating and drinking outlets in Glasgow comes as the city is increasingly been favoured by national operators, owing to the vibrancy of the eating and drinking scene as well as its status as a destination for business conferences and tourists.

Along with cities such as Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Leeds, Glasgow features highly on the list of desired locations for operators looking to build nationwide chains.

Demand for restaurants and hotels has been boosted by the emergence of major music and events venue The SSE Hydro, which has given a massive fillip to the sector in the Finnieston area.

However anecdotal evidence suggests the arrival of national chains in significant numbers is presenting a major challenge to independent operators, thanks in part to the pricing and superior buying power of the chains.

Stuart Patrick, chief executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, said “there is no doubt visitor numbers to Glasgow are growing”.

Mr Patrick put this down to a combination of factors, citing the Hydro, the growth in hotel occupancy and passenger numbers through Glasgow Airport, and last summer’s Commonwealth Games.

More generally, he noted “there had been a general shift in spend per head from just going into shops to spending more on the full-day experience, particularly eating out”.

“It will be the restaurants that will be seeing the majority of the benefit of that shift,” Mr Patrick said.

“Against that, we seen trends against certain types of drinking, and we have some comments from the licensed trade about the impact of harsher drink driving laws.”

The report highlighted the continuing growth of food-led outlets pubs across Scotland, England and Wales, and suggests that the number of licensed restaurants in Great Britain outstripped community pubs for the first time.

According to the research, the number of restaurant sites grew by 6.9 per cent as drink-led pubs and bars dropped by 4.4 per cent, including a 5.1 per cent fall in the number of community pubs.

There were 27,500 restaurants in the UK in the year to the end of June, compared with 26,700 community pubs, while the number of pubs and bars overall fell by 2.6 per cent to around 53,000.

The report suggests the figures point to a continuing shift in consumer preferences towards eating out occasions, a trend which took root after bans on smoking in public places were introduced in Scotland in 2006 and England the year after.

Branded food pubs grew by nine per cent, with the bulk of growth in restaurant numbers coming largely from the branded chain market.

And there was growth in the number of wine bars, café bars and food led-pubs, found the report, suggesting that the latter grew by 1.1 per cent over the period.

Paul Hemming, managing director of AlixPartners, said the figures show that restaurant sector growth is not confined to London.

Mr Hemming said: “The reality of today’s eating out market is that, beyond the M25, there are more expansion opportunities for the leading branded operators, as shown by the presence of cities such as Leicester, York and Sheffield in the top 10 growth towns.

“It is clear that the desire for quality food and bar offerings has spread around the country.”