“Obviously we want people to love the film,” says Andrew Myers through a mouthful of hotdog, “but our philosophy is that if they hate the film and they still have a great night then we are doing OK.”
The chief executive of premium cinema group Everyman is in an enviable position. He heads a company that is young and boutique enough to have plenty of room to grow but that, among those in the know, is already renowned for offering one of the most stylish movie-going experiences in the UK.
Looking around the Maida Vale branch – the most recent addition to the group, which opened last year – it is clear to see why. This unremarkable box of a building opposite a petrol station on a main road in north London opens up into a film-lovers’ paradise. The stairs up to the screens are plastered with old movie posters from Pulp Fiction to Brief Encounter, Dr No to Fight Club, the bar is a mix of chrome and distressed wood and the surprisingly pleasant aroma of popcorn mixed with wasabi peas and red wine hangs in the air.
And this is the norm. All of the sites are unusual, the interiors modish and the prices premium. So far, it is a premium punters seem happy to pay – the £7.2m Everyman Group has been the fastest growing cinema chain in the country for the past two years running and now has 0.6% market share compared with just 0.4% in 2010.
The time for expansion is ripe. The cinema sector increased by 3% last year despite the economic climate and rising problem with illegal downloads, and 40-year-old Myers says doubling the number of Everyman sites across the UK in the next five years is a “conservative” projection. But he will remain ruthlessly selective when it comes to location. Following news last December of a £15m development planned on the King’s Road in Chelsea and with the first site in the north of England due to open in March as part of the Trinity Leeds scheme, Myers reveals everything from how the property sector can get in on some Everyman action to why now has never been a better time to be in the film industry.
Not for everyone
The thing about Everyman is that, despite the name, it’s not really for everyone. In fact, up until this year’s launch in Leeds it won’t have been for anyone outside of London and the South East. Since the company launched in its current guise in 2008 when it took over the Screen Group, the nine current sites have not strayed far from traditionally middle-class areas such as Hampstead, Belsize Park and Winchester in Hampshire with ticket prices hitting £16.50 in central London.
Myers insists that this selective positioning is the key to the group’s success – only going into areas where the product will be appreciated and where people will be happy to pay extra.
“It is a premium price,” concedes Myers, who joined the group as chief executive in 2009. “That is why we carefully choose sites in areas where there is a good fit with the people and they will be really excited about us being there. Ultimately, I don’t think people feel overcharged. The price matches the expectation and the product. I believe we are the only ones offering this sort of service. And it’s what people want from modern cinema.”
Obviously, he would say that. But with the group’s status as fastest growing chain since 2010 and interest from major developers including Land Securities on the Trinity Leeds scheme and Howard Raymond in Chelsea, it is clear that the company is on the right radars – and an air of exclusivity will only add fuel to the fire.
Made in Chelsea
Myers says that he is approached daily both by developers convinced they have found the perfect site for his next venture and members of the public, desperate to have their local areas Everymanned.
The fit has to be right, though. Only a few sites will make the cut and one of the most recent to get the stamp of approval was – no surprises here – in Chelsea. It was announced last December that a £15m Everyman was being planned to replace the Cineworld on the King’s Road. Planning permitting, it will be part funded by the development and sale of 12 flats above the cinema by Soho property mogul Howard Raymond’s Ilona House Securities.
“Howard came to the opening of this cinema in Maida Vale and it seemed like a perfect fit to work together on this project,” says Myers. “The existing cinema doesn’t fit with the environment and the King’s Road is the perfect example of an area where our model really works. We plan to open in 2015 or at the start of 2016. We also have two other sites in the pipeline – one in London and another north of the capital.”
The group does not have a specific pot of money reserved for buying new sites, says Myers. But he is open to suggestions now more than ever after two great years for the group: “Looking five years on, I would certainly like to have an additional number of sites. It would be conservative to say we will have doubled the number we have now.”
And he has tips for anyone who thinks they might be sitting on the perfect building: “Our square footage target is between 8,000 sq ft and 14,000 sq ft, though our Leeds cinema will be much bigger at 27,000 sq ft so it does vary. Ideally, we are looking to have between 130 and 150 seats in each screen. And we are looking to work with all kinds of developers from large firms to smaller players. It’s not difficult to look at our existing sites to work out where we are going and which areas fit our model. Any developer looking to provide something unique in a space is welcome to approach us.”
The future’s bright
The appeal of Everyman’s comfy sofas, individual interiors and high-quality snacks (hummus and pitta bread with green olives and chilli crackers, anyone?) is not only useful for edging past other cinema groups in terms of providing a premium product – “We believe we are doing something nobody else is doing. We have seen people try to copy us but not very successfully,” – but for getting punters through the door.
“There are always going to be people who will download films, people who want to stay at home and wait for the DVD,” says Myers. “That is another reason we want to make the cinema-going experience really exciting. Cinema is still one of the cheapest entertainment options out there, even at our prices.”
And Myers won’t rule out overseas expansion: “We have had interest from various different countries in the Everyman brand. We have enough to keep us busy over here for now but there is certainly potential in the future”.
Sweet, salt or wasabi?
It is all very well curling up on a red velvet-look sofa sipping on a glass of merlot and tucking into a chicken Caesar salad while watching the latest Bond. But for those who might find it all a bit much, the good news is that a trusty old box of popcorn and a Coca-Cola are there, loud and proud, on the menu for those who want a more traditional experience. And with the multiplexes still making up nearly 80% of the UK cinema sector, you are never far away from something a little less boutique, a little more brusque and where the popcorn smell doesn’t have even a hint of wasabi.
emily.wright@estatesgazette.com
