Leicestershire Cineworld saved from closure
Cinema to stay open after discussions between the chain and the local council
A Leicestershire cinema which was set to close will now keep its doors open to customers. Cineworld revealed in July it would be closing six of its branches across the country, with its branches in Hinckley and Loughborough included among them.
There was particular concern in Hinckley as the Cineworld was the only cinema in the town. Leader of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council Stuart Bray branded the decision to close The Crescent retail centre attraction as “extremely sad and disappointing news”. He added it was “much loved” by residents in the town.
However, the council has now said the chain will remain in the town following discussions between the local authority and the brand. The council owns the unit occupied by Cineworld and has now agreed new terms with the chain, a spokeswoman for the authority said.
The cinema is “a key facility that the residents of the borough asked to see returned to the town as part of the redevelopment” of The Crescent, she added. The multi-million pound retail and leisure centre opened in 2015 following redevelopment.
Coun Bray said: “This is excellent news for the town, for the taxpayer, for Cineworld employees and for local businesses. Not only does it safeguard the future of this great facility in Hinckley town centre it also ensures the taxpayer continues to receive a rental income from Cineworld which helps to fund our public services.
“High streets up and down the country are facing challenging times, but Hinckley is bucking that trend with retail occupancy rates and footfall above the Midlands average along with a great range of independent and national businesses. We want it to stay that way, so we’ve taken the necessary action to ensure we do that.”
The local authority added it had received expressions of interest in taking over the unit’s lease from “a number of other national and independent cinemas” following the Cineworld announcement over the summer. Coun Bray added: “The amount of interest we’ve had from alternative cinema operators for this site shows that keeping the facility is the right decision. I thank those operators for coming forward and for the interest they have shown in Hinckley.”