Buzz Bingo to close 26 sites - including at Wigan Robin Park

Bosses confirmed the venue will not be re-opening and is closing permanently and is one of 26 bingo halls to shut.

The company said the move will be part of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) restructuring deal to secure its long-term future.

However customers can still enjoy the Buzz Bingo in Wigan town centre on Crompton Street and online at buzzbingo.com.

In a customer update on its Facebook page, the firm said: "Everyone has been impacted by coronavirus including us here at Buzz Bingo, which means we have had to make some difficult decisions.

"It’s with a heavy heart we announce that Buzz Bingo Wigan Robin Park will not be reopening and is closing permanently.

"We’re really sad to bring you this news as we know this will be a difficult time for our community and our colleagues."

It said that customers can still enjoy the Buzz Bingo in Wigan town centre on Crompton Street and online at buzzbingo.com

It added: "We’d like to thank all our customers and colleagues for their ongoing support and for making our community amazing."

Buzz Bingo said that 91 of its clubs will continue to trade, with plans to start the reopening of sites from August 6.

It will need to secure approval from creditors at a meeting on the restructuring proposal on August 3.

The company, which employs around 3,400 people, said it has earmarked sites for closure due to what it "expects will be an unsustainable operating environment for the foreseeable future".

Buzz closed its sites across the UK on March 21 due to the Government-mandated lockdown, before reducing costs and furloughing the majority of its staff.

However, the company said it will "take time" for footfall to reach pre-virus levels due to social distancing measures and weaker customer confidence.

Chris Matthews, chief executive of Buzz Bingo, said: "The ongoing pandemic has had far-reaching consequences for the entire leisure and hospitality sector and an immediate and significant impact on our business.

"Following a thorough review of our options, the proposed CVA will restructure our retail portfolio to ensure we are well positioned for a return to growth, while adapting to the ongoing, challenging environment as we start to reopen the majority of our clubs.

"The restructure will, very sadly, impact a number of our colleagues and my priority is to support all those affected and keep them fully informed as we continue with this process.

"I would like to thank every single one of our colleagues for their continued understanding and commitment over this period."

Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation (BPF), said: "These situations are never easy, particularly now for the retail, hospitality and leisure businesses on our high streets at the sharp end of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Property owners, however, need to take into consideration the impact on their investors, including the millions of people whose savings and pensions are invested in commercial property, as they vote on any CVA proposal."

The 26 sites earmarked for closure are:

- Chatham

- Salford

- Salisbury

- Southampton 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