About Us
Commercial Services is made up of five key areas: Catering & Events, Print, Accommodation, The UofG Shop and the University Nursery.
UofG Shop
I really am delighted to lead the brilliant retail team here at the University. Together, we operate the fantastic University Gift Shop, the Art Gallery Shop, and the Campus Bookshop. We also manage the Gift Shop online website, which is continually evolving and extends our reach globally for all your branded merchandise, apparel, and clothing needs.
With our passion for great service, we are very focused on continually developing our ranges and choices to improve the student and visitor experience alike, with a strong focus on the University's heritage, working closely with local suppliers and producers. So whether it’s hoodies, textbooks, stationery, a university-branded bath duck, graduation gifts, or our newly launched University 1451 Gin, we have you covered. Let’s not forget that for all colleges and departments, we also provide a bespoke service for all your apparel, clothing, and merchandising needs, with discounts from our University-approved list of suppliers.
I am very proud to also add that we offer student discounts in all our shops, with all profits invested directly back into the University. So helping us helps you, as well as all students and staff, as we continually strive to improve our student and visitor experience.
With a strong passion for delivering great service, developing teams, and ensuring everyone feels valued, I'm particularly keen that we have a fun and inspiring environment within our retail shops.
We look forward to your next visit, and all customers and visitors can be sure of experiencing our famous, friendly Glasgow welcome.
Glaschu Fàilte
Kenny McDonald
Head of Retail, GU Heritage Retail Ltd
Catering & Events
The Catering & Events Department deliver a wide range of food and beverage, retail catering and hospitality services to our University community. We also organise events, conferences, weddings and manage location filming and production enquiries. We regularly utilise the fantastic array of facilities and buildings across our campuses and love nothing more than providing outstanding experiences to our students, staff and to visitors of the University.
As Head of Catering & Events, I lead the various teams within the Department and I'm always looking at ways to enhance service provision, provide value for quality and deliver a really positive customer experience.
I enjoy working with key stakeholders on new ventures and developing our business model, but nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing my team go above and beyond to provide a first class customer experience.
Matt Gilmour
Head of Catering & Events
Print Unit
I have worked for the University for many years and worked in many roles and locations within the print environment. I worked as a litho printer, prepress operator and the Supervisor of the Graphics team while at Strathclyde University. As part of my role, I've had additional responsibility for IT, which involved buying and maintaining computer and print equipment. I was the Area Safety representative for the combined print units of Glasgow and Strathclyde universities. All these roles and responsibilities have been customer-facing and that has allowed me to gain a large amount of experience of the needs of staff and students in a university environment.
Since 2011, I have been the Print Unit Supervisor. I have used all the experience gained over the years to shape and deliver a print service tailored to our customers' needs. This is constantly evolving, and my goal is to deliver the very best product and service possible and to allow our staff the freedom to grow and input into that service.
Raymond Dickson
Studio Supervisor, Print Unit
Accommodation Services
The Accommodation Services team is committed and passionate about providing students living within the University residences a home away from home, with 24/7 access to university support.
We believe that the role of the University is to support all aspects of the student journey, with accommodation being a key touchpoint in the life of a student, and that student accommodation is more than a bed—it’s a home, a safe haven, and a supportive community contributing to a student’s experience.
We house over 5,500 students, both within the UofG portfolio and in purpose-built student accommodation. The University residences are well located, providing easy access to campus for teaching at Gilmorehill, Garscube, and Dumfries, helping the student population feel connected to the University and their peers.
We offer a range of affordable room types, from ensuite rooms and standard rooms with shared facilities to studios and family flats.
Students within the residences are provided with direct access to services offered by the Residences team, dedicated accommodation security teams, and Student Support Services to support safety, wellbeing, and community building.
The Residences team and I recognize that, for many of our students, this will be their first independent home. We understand that this can sometimes be stressful, and we endeavour to always make this transition easier, with teams available to listen to your concerns and provide support and signposting where needed.
Your safety, comfort, and experience are our priority, and we are committed to supporting your academic success and ensuring your time with us is the best it can be!
Ashley Gibbons
Head of Accommodation Services
University Nursery
The University of Glasgow Nursery is based on campus at Hillhead Street and is open to all current staff and students. The Nursery has 74 places on a full-time or part-time basis, and strives to provide support to parents and to care for your child during their time at the Nursery, providing a warm, safe and friendly environment for them to grow and develop under the watchful eye of our vastly experienced and trained staff.
The Nursery itself is run by Childcare Scotland Properties Ltd and the University Allocations Team, which is part of Commercial Services, works closely with the Nursery on a daily basis ensuring the smooth running of the Nursery and managing any operational issues that may arise. We also manage all aspects of the application and allocation process, from securing a place at the Nursery to dealing with all contractual matters related to the Nursery.
Gillian Stevenson
Nursery Allocations Manager
Sustainability at Commercial Services
