THE group that owns Di Maggio’s and bills itself as Scotland’s largest independent restaurant chain has unveiled plans for an £8 million aparthotel in Glasgow and posted record annual results.

The DRG’s decision to open a 64-bedroom hotel, above its Anchor Line restaurant and Atlantic bar and brasserie at St Vincent Place, marks another diversification for joint managing directors and co-owners Mario Gizzi and Tony Conetta.

The hotel is aimed “firmly” at the business market, Mr Gizzi said. However, he also highlighted the intention of attracting leisure visitors attending events at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro arena, and people on shopping trips.

The hotel is due to open in June next year, and its bedrooms will include six penthouse suites.

A spokesman for The DRG, known formerly as Di Maggio’s Restaurant Group, noted the company owned the building at St Vincent Place, which was formerly home to the Anchor Line shipping company. He added the group was going through the process of obtaining planning permission for the proposed hotel.

The company, which has 18 restaurants across Scotland and includes brands such as Cafe Andaluz and Amarone as well as Di Maggio’s, revealed its turnover had risen by 12.4 per cent to a record £33.7 million in the year to April 30, 2016.

Pre-tax profits at the family company climbed by 22 per cent to a record £5.76m.

Its employee numbers increased by 13.6 per cent during the year to April 30, from 690 to 784. It declared this cemented “the company’s place as the largest independent restaurant chain in Scotland”.

Mr Gizzi, who co-founded the business in the 1980s, said of the planned hotel opening: “It’s a very significant venture for us but we have carried out a great deal of market research and are aiming firmly at business people visiting the city, as well as visitors taking in shows at the Hydro or on shopping trips to Glasgow.”

He added: “Guests won’t just benefit from the luxury accommodation and city centre location, but will also be able to take advantage of the Anchor Line’s menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Mr Gizzi noted the latest results included the first full year of trading for the Anchor Line restaurant and the group’s Cafe Andaluz outlet in Union Street, Aberdeen. The Anchor Line opened in September 2014.

Latest additions, including the Atlantic bar and brasserie and DRG’s new Spanish seafood restaurant Cadiz in Edinburgh were “already trading very well”, Mr Gizzi said.

He added: “Our strategy of reinvesting in the business helps us to set the pace with new restaurant concepts.”

Di Maggio’s was founded by Mr Gizzi and Tony Conetta’s father, Joe, in Shawlands, in Glasgow’s south side. It is owned by Mr Gizzi, and Joe and Tony Conetta.

The DRG is set to open a new £2m restaurant and bar development, Registers, in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, in spring 2018. This will be its fourth restaurant in the city.

The group also highlighted plans to invest heavily in professional development for staff to “create the top-class managers and head chefs of the future”.

It said it had last year become a Scottish Qualifications Authority- accredited training facility and started offering modern apprenticeships to staff.

With 35 employees already undertaking Scottish Vocational Qualifications in either hospitality services or hospitality supervision and leadership, it was looking to expand the programme to 120 apprentices in the 2017/18 financial year and 200 in 2018/19.

Mr Conetta said: “It’s been a strong 12 months but we’re determined not to rest on our laurels.

“The coming year will see our biggest-ever capital investment in new premises and a huge expansion of professional training programmes for our people, so it’s an exciting time to be involved in the business.”

Directors’ dividends and remuneration totalled £1.81m in the year to April 30, up from £1.769m in the prior 12 months. The group signalled the bulk of this £1.81m had been paid in dividends, in line with the prior 12 months.

Accounts for the prior 12 months indicate £1.6m of the amount received by directors in that year was in dividends, with nearly £169,000 in pay and pension contributions.