Major cinema chain with 100 branches ‘to close dozens of sites’ in major blow to high street
A MAJOR cinema chain is in talks to close dozens of sites under new plans to shore up its finances.
Cineworld is considering shutting down around a quarter of its approximately 100 UK multiplexes, Sky News reports.
The prospect would mean up to 25 local cinemas could close permanently under its plans.
The chain is also seeking to renegotiate rent agreements for about 50 of its locations.
Struggling businesses often do this to help lower their operating costs and help retain more of their brick-and-mortar estate.
However, landlords don’t need to accept what’s put forward in these discussions.
This means that up to 50 Cineworld complexes could still be at risk of closure if the chain and its landlords cannot reach an agreement.
However, 25 cinemas will be left unaffected by the restructuring plans and remain open for the foreseeable.
Final decision to come
The Sun understands that Cineworld’s creditors and landlords will formally receive the plans in the coming weeks.
A creditor is an individual, business, or financial institution to whom the company owes money or is obligated to repay a debt.
The restructuring is expected to be carried out through a specific insolvency mechanism rather than a company voluntary arrangement (CVA).
Insolvency mechanisms aim to either rescue the company, liquidate it, or achieve the best return for creditors.
A CVA specifically aims to allow the company to continue trading while repaying its debts over time.
As of July 2024, the cinema chain operates out of 100 Cineworld branded screens across the UK and Ireland as well as a further 28 under the Picturehouse brand.
For now, the chain’s screens remain fully operational and open as usual.
A Cineworld spokesperson said, “We continue to review our options, but we don’t comment on rumours and speculation.”
What is happening across hospitality and the cinema sector?
CINEWORLD isn't the only chain that's struggling.
Odeon confirmed it would close five of its branches in May last year.
Empire Cinema also closed multiple sites in 2023 after falling into administration in July of the same year.
The company made the decision following “a thorough assessment of all available options”.
The hospitality sector has been struggling too.
In April, family favourite restaurant chain Whitbread revealed it was set to shutter more than 200 locations and axe 1,500 jobs.
It shared the plans in its full year results, saying it planned to convert 112 restaurants into hotel extensions, while closing 126 “loss-making” venues.
Pub giant Wetherspoons has been closing boozers across the UK too, and Byron Burger fell into administration last year.
In March, pizza giant Papa Johns said it would close dozens of locations.
What else has happened at Cineworld?
Earlier this month, Cineworld was said to be weighing up its options and considering a major restructuring, which could include closures.
Sky News reported the chain was working with restructuring adviser AlixPartners on a plan that could lead to a sale or restructuring.
According to the broadcaster, such a move could “put an unspecified number of its UK cinemas at risk of closure”.
A restructuring plan allows a company to rework its balance sheet, restructuring debts and releasing cash into the business.
At the time of the report, a spokesperson for Cineworld said it was “continually reviewing” its UK operations “like many businesses”.
It came after Cineworld emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US late last year.
Filing for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy means a company intends to reorganise its debts and assets while remaining in business.
At the time, the future of the chain’s 129 UK and Irish cinemas appeared to be in danger.
The company’s shares plunged almost 99% in the five years to 2023, as it was hit particularly hard by the pandemic and the enforced closure of its cinema sites.
Shortly after, Cineworld’s UK arm collapsed into administration on July 31.
The cinema chain was delisted from the London Stock Exchange a day later.
When a company enters administration in the UK, all control is passed to an appointed administrator, who must be a licensed insolvency practitioner.
Since then appointed administrators at Alix Partners have been assessing plans for a major restructure.
The business has posted significant losses as its come under pressure from platforms offering streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
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