Lights, Camera, Action at Empire Cinemas in Ipswich

By Craig Ranson
By Craig Ranson

Managing Director – Bridge Classic Cars

Exciting news from The Empire Cinemas Official website

Ipswich, June 2016: This Winter, Empire Cinemas, the UK’s largest independently-owned cinema chain, will be rolling out the red carpet in Ipswich as part of a £35m redevelopment complex.

A state-of-the-art, twelve-screen Empire Cinemas complex will bring a new era of entertainment to the redeveloped Buttermarket Shopping Centre in Ipswich. The new opening is part of a larger retail and leisure development from Capital & Regional and Drum Property Group.

Representatives from Capital & Regional, Drum Property Group and Empire Cinemas gathered this week as they ‘handed over’ the cinema to Empire’s Chief Executive, Justin Ribbons. Empire Cinemas will now fit out the multi-screen cinema and create 45 new positions as excitement starts to build ahead of the grand opening this Winter.

The cinema will include two IMPACT screens. IMPACT boasts a bigger screen, bigger sound and altogether bigger experience; with superb stadium seating and extra leg room, IMPACT is the ultimate way to enjoy blockbuster movies.

Appointed as General Manager is Adam Root, who comes to Ipswich from the Walthamstow branch. With over 18 years’ leisure industry experience, Adam’s cinema career started at the Empire Cinema in Basildon in 2009 where he joined the busy eighteen screen cinema as an Assistant General Manager. He moved to Empire Bishop’s Stortford as General Manager in 2010 where he focused on enhancing the customer experience at the six screen Hertfordshire Cinema. However Adam is delighted to come to Ipswich given his local links with the area: “I am really excited to take on the stewardship of the brand new state-of-the-art Empire cinema in Ipswich. I lived in Ipswich for a couple of years as a child and still have family there so it will be great to be working in a town that I already hold great affection for. We have some fantastic plans for the new cinema and I can’t wait to get started with them”

The cinema will be surrounded by nine new well-known food and drink operators including Byron Burger, Wagamama, Coast to Coast and Prezzo. Stores include New Look with a new flagship 14,000 sq ft unit and TK Maxx relocating to a more prominent ground floor unit at the centre. Women’s fashion retailer Select have also opened at the centre, alongside Boots and health food brands Grape Tree and Holland & Barrett. Further cinematic developments about the site are set to follow.

Justin Ribbons, Chief Executive of Empire Cinemas commented:
“We are delighted to be opening the newest addition to the Empire family in Ipswich and look forward to entertaining film fans from across the area for many years to come.”

Empire Cinemas’ cater for all; from Empire JNRS, which offers families the chance to see a family favourite every weekend for pocket money prices; to Empire Seniors, where the over 60’s can watch a selection of the best recent and classic films every Wednesday, including tea or coffee and a biscuit. Empire Cinemas also welcome parents with babies through their Empire Parent & Baby screenings, providing a relaxing environment for parents/guardians to enjoy the latest releases with the lights up and sound down, every Monday morning. Other offers include SAV£RDAY Tuesday, which offers customers a chance to see current films for a ‘credit crunch busting’ price, and Last Chance To See Thursdays, which screens selected films coming to the end of their run at Saverday prices.

In addition to the very latest film releases, there will also be a variety of Empire Extra screenings, where customers can experience big stage productions and events on the big screen from the comfort of their local cinema – be it theatre, opera, ballet, music or sport, customers can sit back and enjoy the big screen experience in high definition where you’re always guaranteed the best seat in the house at a fraction of the theatre ticket price.

For more information on this exciting development please check out the Empire Cinemas Ipswich Facebook page:

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