UK’s Empire Cinema group enters administration - full list of closures

The Empire Cinema’s chain has entered administration and will close half of their cinemas across the UK. The company currently has 12 cinemas nationwide.

The company announced that six of its cinemas will close with immediate effect. The company’s sites located in Birmingham, Clydebank, High Wycombe, Ipswich and Sutton, and the two Tivoli sites in Bath and Cheltenham, will remain open as the administrators hope to find a buyer.

It’s been reported that the company struggled to recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as inflation and the cost of living crisis. Justin Ribbons, Empire Cinemas Group CEO, said today: “As a consequence of COVID-19, we found ourselves in a position where we were mandated by Government to close down our cinema chain in its entirety for protracted periods in 2020 and 2021, leaving us with a high fixed cost base and no income.”

He continued: “Cinema attendance levels have not yet returned to pre-COVID-19 levels and the operating environment remains extremely challenging, with extraordinary levels of utility costs and rates, and persistently high levels of inflation leading to increased costs and a squeeze on discretionary spending by consumers which has inevitably created profitability issues for the group. The decision to appoint administrators has not been taken lightly but will give us the best chance to protect the viable parts of the business and secure as many jobs as possible.

The company also said that “gift cards and ticket e-codes purchased by customers will continue to be honoured, whilst advance ticket bookings at those sites that are continuing to trade will remain valid. Advance ticket purchases at closed cinemas have been refunded.”

So, which locations will the Empire Cinema Group be closing? Here’s the full list of closures across the UK?

Empire Cinema Group - full list of closures

The locations that have been closed with immediate effect are:

• Bishop’s Stortford
• Catterick Garrison
• Sunderland​​​​​​​
• Swindon​​​​​​​
• Walthamstow
• Wigan