Ipswich cinema employees 'really hurt' by closure decision

Omniplex Cinemas took over a site at the Buttermarket Ipswich complex in December

Cinema staff facing redundancy said they felt "really hurt" by their employer's decision to close.

Omniplex acquired the Buttermarket Ipswich site in December after Empire Cinemas fell into administration.

The company has told staff the branch will close on 24 March after less than four months of operation.

Employees said they were offered jobs in other UK locations but no money to travel there. Omniplex and Buttermarket Ipswich declined to comment.

In a joint statement to the BBC, staff said: "This whole situation has really hurt the employees."

The Ipswich site was one of five locations acquired by the Irish firm at the end of 2023, which the company spent £22.5m obtaining and renovating as part of an expansion into Britain.

Staff claimed their hours were "quickly cut in half" following the takeover and that they would receive the "bare minimum" in redundancy pay.

"They offered us jobs in their other Great Britain locations, such as Sutton or Birmingham [but] didn't offer to pay for our travel to said locations if we were to accept the offer of transfer," the statement continued.

"The majority of us have been left in a really difficult situation, with no source of income."