Sad news for retail bingo today as Buzz Bingo announces the closure of 26 of its halls in the wake of the Covid 19 lockdown and restrictions on business. The list of clubs that will not reopen is as follows.
- Chatham
- Salford
- Salisbury
- Antelope Park
- Banbury
- Boston
- Bournemouth
- Bridlington
- Carlisle
- Chorley
- Cramlington
- Derby Foresters
- Edinburgh Westerhailes
- Harpurhey
- Hereford
- Kilmarnock
- Milton Keynes
- Oxford Kassam
- Stockland Green
- Tamworth
- Wednesbury
- Weymouth
- Wigan Robin Park
- Wolverhampton
- Worcester
- Wythenshawe.
Chris Matthews, CEO of Buzz Bingo had this to say:
"We have therefore had to make some difficult decisions about how we move forward and ensure that we protect the future of Buzz Bingo. It is, therefore, with sadness that I need to share with you that 26 of our clubs will not reopen, and will close permanently in a proposed restructure of our retail business."
The news will come as a bitter blow to members of those club members who’ve been waiting for Buzz Bingo to reopen. With a phased reopening happening from Aug 6th, it was expected that all clubs would eventually open for business. It’s sadder still for the staff of these clubs (around 570 of them) who’s jobs will be lost.
Buzz Bingo has taken these steps as a part of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to shore-up the business going forward. The chains other 91 clubs should still reopen as part of the phased plan following the lockdown. Chris Matthews said:
"The decision to restructure our club portfolio is the right way to secure our long-term future and make sure that we can still bring bingo to our customers in the majority of our clubs around the country."
Read the full announcement here.
