Chesterfield’s Cineworld complex to remain open as six UK sites set for closure
Struggling Cineworld has confirmed Chesterfield is not among six locations to be axed as it sets out plans to reduce rents.
Alma Leisure Park is not included in a list of six sites – in Glasgow, Bedford, Hinckley, Loughborough, Swindon and Gloucestershire – set for closure during a Cineworld announcement this week.
Closures are proposed as part of a restructuring plan to restore the business to profitability against a background of “increasingly high and unsustainable operating costs”.
Earlier this month news emerged Cineworld was contemplating the closure of around a quarter of its 100 multiplexes in Great Britain with the aim of renegotiating rents at 50 sites – while the remaining 25 would be untouched by the restructuring plans.
At that time a spokesman for the chain was unable to rule out the closure of Chesterfield. However the future of Chesterfield’s Alma Leisure Park cinema remains unclear as the chain says it is unable to confirm the total number of impacted sites until its restructuring plan is complete.
A Cineworld spokesman said if the restructuring plan was approved, it was expected to become effective in late September 2024.
However they added: “The total number of impacted sites cannot be confirmed until the process is complete. We are implementing a restructuring plan that will provide our company with a strong platform to return our business to profitability, attract further investment from the group and ensure a sustainable long-term future for Cineworld in the UK.”
While this process is ongoing all Cineworld cinemas in the UK will continue to operate as normal.
Cineworld currently operates across 10 countries with 751 sites and 9,189 screens.
In July last year it was placed into administration and was subsequently struck from the London Stock Exchange.