Empire cinema staff in Swindon react to sudden closure

Staff were told on Thursday that there would be a meeting at 9.30am on the morning of Friday, July 7.

It was then and there that they were told the Greenbridge Retail Park cinema had collapsed into administration and would be closing with immediate effect. 

Minutes later, they were all out of the building, jobless, and with the doors locked behind them. Signs were taped to the glass panes explaining the administration process to customers and passers-by. 

Empire Cinemas has placed a notice in its doorways informing people that it has closed (Image: Newsquest)

For the staff who considered their colleagues a 'family', the news came as a major shock. 

One member of staff, Lydia Walker, commenting on the Adver's Facebook Live broadcast after the closure said she was 'gutted'.

She later added: "All I will say is that I'm gutted for all our staff including the managers who were told at the same time as us. 

"I get let go twice during Covid and came back because I love my job. We are like a family.

"There was no warning at all."

Lydia added that staff were told they would not be paid this month and would have to 'apply' for any outstanding pay owed to them, which would take four to six weeks. 

The inside of Empire Cinema, Swindon, being emptied after it was permanently closed and placed in administration (Image: Newsquest)

Another employee, Hayley Hard, said: "As a member of staff for Empire I want to just point out how gutted and saddened we are by this.

"We literally found out this morning and were told that effective immediately we have no jobs.

"This wasn’t just a job to most of us, some have been here 20-plus years, we made friendships and became a family."

There had been questions when the showing times for films from the week commencing Friday, July 7, had not been posted on the website by the day before. 

A post on the cinema's Facebook page three days stated this was a 'technical issue' that would be fixed soon, reassuring people it was still taking bookings. 

The times were added on Thursday and yesterday could be seen via a Google search of the Swindon Empire but are no longer visible on the company's website. 

No sooner had the staff been told they were being made redundant, a hired removal company and Empire management staff had already begun the process of removing stock and other items from the cinema into a nearby rental van. 

An order of stock for the following week had been placed by unsuspecting Empire Cinema staff in Swindon, even though the company knew it would be shutting it permanently. (Image: Newsquest)

But while removal men were in the process of taking items out of the building, a Booker wholesale lorry turned up with a delivery of new stock. 

The delivery driver was unaware that anything had happened, and despite trying to get into the building and get the attention of those inside, he was unable to and drove off with the entire order. 

Empire has issued a statement confirming the Swindon site closed along with the cinemas in Bishop’s Stortford, Catterick Garrison, Sunderland, Walthamstow, and Wigan.

The remaining Empire Cinemas in Birmingham, Clydebank, High Wycombe, Ipswich and Sutton, as well as the two Tivoli sites in Bath and Cheltenham, will continue to trade while the joint administrators at BDO seek a buyer for some or all of the remaining cinemas within the group’s portfolio.

Group CEO Justin Ribbons said: "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.”