Kier Property has unveiled The Light Cinemas as its operator partner for its new Waterfront leisure-led Walsall development.

The Light Cinema will bring a radically new approach to entertainment in Walsall; their concept of cutting edge design combined with high levels of customer service and community involvement have made this new group the ideal choice for the development.

Kier Property was originally working with Odeon for the cinema element. However, the Light Cinemas impressed the team with their positive and fresh attitude. They have a focused approach to empowering the local community and a commitment to delivering a VIP level of services and seating as standard.

The Light Cinemas are also very enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with Kier in Walsall. They love the diversity of the town, and see the Waterfront location as an excellent environment for leisure and tourism opportunities. The Kier site is in close proximity to the canal, basin, Premier Inn, town centre, transport links and New Art Gallery.


John Sullivan of dCinex Consulting, who is advising Kier Property, said: "We strongly advise our clients to focus on sites that stand on their own – and this is one such site. Its strength is based on the superb waterfront location already surrounded by vibrant retail, fantastic transport links, great choice of dining and more to come. The concept of the out of town leisure park with limited dining options is rapidly heading for obsolescence and will be superseded by a new wave of in-town developments like this."

Phil Dove, general manager of The Light Cinemas, said: "We are delighted that we have been asked to join Kier on this scheme. It is a great opportunity for us to create a cinema that is unique to Walsall. All of our cinemas are in different places, so they are all different – we don’t have a standard formula; we work with the community to create something unique that they own and love.

"Our recently opened cinema in New Brighton – The Light on the Wirral - has surpassed all expectations and has quickly become the social centre for that area of town. Our cinema in Walsall will do the same with a strong focus on bringing a wide range of movies and events to the venue. The development will include a range of food & beverage offers catering for a wide range of tastes that will attract local people, whether or not they want to see a movie. That's the secret of our success."

(CD/MH)