AN Ipswich nightclub owner has angrily scotched persistent rumours that his business is to be sold.Word is spreading around town that Kartouche nightclub will soon be closing its doors for good but operations director Kerpal Bains insists this is far from true.

By Jo Macdonald

AN Ipswich nightclub owner has angrily scotched persistent rumours that his business is to be sold.

Word is spreading around town that Kartouche nightclub will soon be closing its doors for good but operations director Kerpal Bains insists this is far from true.

He is irate that people seem continuously set on trying to ruin his business but stresses that the Princes Street venue will be around for a long time yet.

He said: "These rumours are constantly being bandied around by people who are not in the business or who have decided for whatever personal reasons to start malicious gossip.

"Maybe there are possibly some who are hoping to gain the confidence of the customers who they are trying to attract for their own business.

"I think this is once again proof of the fact that too many clubs and late bars have been allocated in a small area where people resort to devious tactics to try and get ahead in business rather than their own skills and fair play."

Mr Bains is confident that the rumours will not blight the business and that the club will remain one of the biggest and most popular venues in the region. A new management team has recently been appointed and nights are already planned for the next few months, a sign that the club is going nowhere but full steam ahead into the future.

"As far as I'm concerned this club is going from strength to strength," Mr Bains said.

"We are one of the biggest clubs in Anglia and our history has proven that we are successful. We've been operating here for over a decade.

"The only explanation I can imagine is that the rumours have arisen because we are considering closing our Thursday night and relaunching a new over- 25s night in April. Somebody may have misunderstood and assumed a lot more than actual fact."

Mr Bains believes that Kartouche's standing in the region's nightclub scene is also a factor in the closure rumours that keep resurfacing.

"We have to understand that we are the biggest, the most successful and, without doubt, the best known club in the area," he said. "Therefore we will become the obvious target for anyone who's seeking attention through making up stories."

Kartouche is keen to reassure its customers, however, that its doors will remain open as usual.

"It should be remembered that whole generations have been brought up coming to this building, whether it was Hollywoods or Kartouche," Mr Bains added.

"My advice to people who enjoy coming to Kartouche is to look forward to Christmas with me and a happy New Year event because we will be here.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll be around for another decade."

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