Arc Cinema Signs up at Ayr ' s Kyle Centre
The Arc Cinema has signed a longterm lease with the innovative developer and investor , Squarestone Asset Management , to become the leisure anchor at Ayr ' s Kyle Centre . Coupled with South Ayrshire Council ' s planned Leisure Centre on the Arran Mall site , which is also controlled by Squarestone Asset Management , this will see a key area in the heart of the town centre repurposed into a vibrant cultural and leisure destination . Tim Barlow , Chief Operating Officer at Squarestone Asset Management commented " We are delighted with the outcome of the efforts of all involved , particularly , given the challenges of recent months . The Arc Cinema signing is a real endorsement of Ayr and we are all very excited about them committing to this opportunity . Squarestone Asset Management can now look at signing food and beverage operators to complement the cinema . The Arc Cinema is a great cultural contribution to the regeneration of Ayr town centre , supporting the vision South Ayrshire Council have set out to create ." The Arc Cinema is a boutique cinema operator that currently has six sites across the UK and Ireland , with a further two UK sites under construction and due to open in mid-2021 . It specialises in providing a VIP cinema experience for the price of a standard ticket .
Along with the cinema at the Kyle Centre , plans include food and beverage outlets , a host of complementary leisure activities such as virtual reality , soft play , indoor golf experience and a refurbished car park . The new facilities will be set within a fully refurbished and extended Kyle Centre which will connect the scheme to the wider town centre , and an expanding range of leisure and entertainment offers to create a real sense of place .
Brian Gilligan , director at Melcorpo , which runs The Arc Cinema , said : " We are delighted to be working
with Squarestone Asset Management to bring one of our state-of-the-art cinemas to the Kyle Centre in Ayr . We would like to express our grateful thanks to them for their support in helping make this possible . " The large high-specification eight-screen cinema has been specially designed to ensure we become a leisure hub , enabling us to provide a focal point for the people of Ayr . Our customers love the fact that we offer a luxurious VIP experience , but we only charge standard cinema prices , and we think that unique combination is perfectly suited to Ayr . " Everyone is really looking forward to treats like cinema and restaurant trips again so we ' re particularly excited to have the opportunity to be part of this good news story for the South Ayrshire community at this time ." Councillor Peter Henderson , Leader of South Ayrshire Council said : " This is fantastic news . We want to make South Ayrshire a better place to live for everyone , and this is a significant
milestone as part of the regeneration of our town centre .
" We look forward to welcoming the first new cinema to the town in over 80 years . The brand new , state-ofthe-art , eight-screen cinema in the Kyle Centre will bring blockbuster movies , live cinema events and films for all the family .
" It also means that residents will not have to travel elsewhere to see a wide variety of new films , and it will be a big draw for visitors , which I am sure will delight the town ' s traders . " Our goal is to increase the profile of the town centre and entice people back to the area . This project , together with our new Leisure Centre , will ultimately create significant new job opportunities in our community which I ' m sure will also come as welcome news to our residents ." Following the deal with The Arc Cinema , and on-going discussions with complimentary leisure operators advancing , it is anticipated that construction will begin in 2023 .
March-May 2021 TW-19