Andrew had died in 1759 and his tobacco empire was inherited by his son James Buchanan of Drumpellier (also twice Lord Provost of Glasgow).

A Glasgow branch of the NAAFI was constructed at the intersection of Sauchiehall Street in 1953, but was not a financial success and closed just seven years later – the building becoming a casino for the Stakis organization which it remained until the 1980s.

The northern section of the street underwent significant regeneration in the late 1980s when the demolition of the former NAAFI building at the intersection took place in 1988 to allow for the construction of the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, opening in 1990, and the adjoining Buchanan Galleries shopping mall, which began construction in 1995 and opened in 1999.

Both these new buildings spelled the final end for Parliamentary Road – the main easterly thoroughfare into neighbouring Townhead.

At the start of the street where it meets Argyle Street and St Enoch Square the historic Argyll Arcade[10][11] which opened in 1827 with sixty-three shops and is now the oldest Victorian shopping centre in Britain, and its near neighbour award-winning Princes Square indoor mall face across to the stores which make up the iconic House of Fraser[12] – which started in Glasgow and also owned Harrods of London.

In 2022, plans were announced to demolish the Buchanan Galleries shopping centre, built in 1999, and create new streets and a mixed use development comprising residential, retail and business properties.