Ward Anderson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chain logos

Savoy logo

Ward Anderson is the largest cinema chain in Ireland. It operates cinemas throughout the Republic Of Ireland and United Kingdom.

The group is owned by its two founders, Leo Ward, and Kevin Anderson, and its different brands are managed by various members of their families. Behind the scenes there is a rather complex structure to the group, with no single holding company, but a number of linked companies.

From a public point of view, the group runs three main chains - Omniplex, Cineplex, and IMC - which operate in many provincial towns in Ireland. The typical cinema owned by the group will have between five and ten screens. The group's companies own 25 cinemas in the Republic of Ireland, 8 cinemas in Northern Ireland and 11 in Great Britain (see below).

The group's flagship is the Savoy Cinema in O'Connell Street, Dublin. It also owns the Screen Cinema in D'Oiler Street, which tends to show more alternative movies. However unlike outside Dublin (where the group is dominant), the market in the capital is keenly contested, with competitors including UCI, Cineworld and Vue.

2005 saw many changes in the UK cinema market including Terra Firma Capital Partners buying both Odeon and the UK operations of UCI as well as Cineworlds takeover of the UK and Republic of Ireland operations of UGC. In response the Office of Fair Trading ordered both new groups to divest themselves of certain cinema and Ward Andersons sister group Empire Cinemas announced that it would purchase 8 former UCI, 5 former Odeon, 3 former Cineworld and 3 former UGC cinemas and rebrand them all as Empire Cinemas. See Empire Cinemas for more details.