Ipswich Omniplex cinema to stay open after redundancy risk

A message on the Omniplex cinema's Facebook page confirms it will be staying open.

Omniplex had written to several staff members in February saying they were at risk of redundancy, with plans for the cinema to close on or before Sunday, March 24.

The site is the former Empire Cinemas, upstairs in the shopping centre, but was acquired by the Irish company in December 2023 and given a rebrand.

The cinema is inside Buttermarket shopping centre (Image: Newsquest)

Earlier in the week, one of the employees at Omniplex Ipswich told this publication that Omniplex and Buttermarket had been renegotiating to get a deal done, and that all redundancies had been put on hold.

Staff were reportedly told that issues from before had been worked through and there was a 90% chance they would remain open.

A possible closure had sparked concern from the business community and councillors.

Terry Baxter, chair of Ipswich Central, said the cinema shutting would be "hugely disappointing", while borough councillor John Cook warned it would be "bad for Ipswich town centre".