Empire Cinemas has been placed into administration, with six of its 14 sites closing immediately.
BDO’s Anthony Nygate, John Strowger and Danny Dartnaill were appointed joint administrators of Empire Cinemas Ltd and various linked entities today.
The company operates 12 cinema sites under the Empire brand and two Tivoli-branded cinemas in Bath and Cheltenham, employing 437 staff in England and Scotland.
Its cinemas at Bishop’s Stortford, Catterick Garrison, Sunderland, Swindon, Walthamstow and Wigan have ceased trading, while a cinema at Sutton Coldfield that had been closed will now not reopen. Some 150 roles have been made redundant.
The remaining sites in Birmingham, Clydebank, High Wycombe, Ipswich and Sutton, and the two Tivoli sites, are continuing to trade as the administrators seek a buyer.
Nygate, BDO business restructuring partner, said: “The well-publicised challenges for the leisure sector from the impact of Covid-19, rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis have significantly affected the companies’ business. The remaining open sites are continuing to trade while we explore the sale of as much of the business as possible.”
To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@eg.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @EGPropertyNews
