Themed cinema operator Backyard Cinema is seeking new locations in London, as part of plans to “dominate” the city’s experiential cinema market.
Backyard’s 20-strong wish list of urban locations include Bermondsey, Brixton, Camden, central London, Hackney, Hammersmith, Old Street and Shepherd’s Bush. The operator is also considering areas with strong transport links in Greater London, such as Ealing.
Leases containing terms for a minimum of two years are being sought, with the ability to extend afterwards. Dominic Davies, founder and creative director of Backyard Cinema, told EG this would ideally lead to lease lengths of five years and upwards.
Backyard unveiled its first permanent space last year at Capital Studios, an abandoned TV studio in Wandsworth, SW18, which it occupies on a five-year lease as a 250-seat cinema, street food and craft beer complex. It has since built a second screen in its car park.
The operator is aiming to cater to around 1,500 customers per screening across its locations. According to Davies, this would equal up to five similarly sized venues in the next three years, unless it can find one “absolutely enormous” space in central London to accommodate these numbers.
New venues would ideally provide a capacity for around 250 seats per screen, with at least 10,000 sq ft per location and a 4m minimum floor-to-ceiling height.
Clear lines of sight for screening rooms are the main priority, but basement, first floor and split levels will also be considered. Possible venues also include disused sites and large plots of land for conversion.
“Primarily, we are looking for permanent locations,” said Davies. “We are looking to put roots down and pitch up for long periods of time.
“Temporary usage, or meanwhile use, is something we have specialised in – and we’re very good at it – but the problem is it doesn’t come with a huge amount of security. So we are now looking for projects we can really get our teeth into.”
He added that once Backyard has achieved its targeted size in London, it will set its sights on expansion outside of the UK.
“We are expanding our offering by creating the full experience for people,” said Davies. “We are looking to add extra entertainment, so there will be ticketed cocktail experiences, karaoke booths and more stuff to do. We’re creating the next generation of entertainment hubs.
“The one thing we have going for us, in a world of competitive socialising and new entertainment, [is that the] cinema is not a fad. We might throw some bells and whistles at it, but at its core, cinema is still the driving force. It has broad demographics, and you can rely on people still going in 20 years’ time.”
Marc Rogers of MKR Property is Backyard’s sole retained property adviser.
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