| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder(s) |
Timothy Richards (CEO) |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Owner(s) | Doughty Hanson & Co |
| Website | www.myvue.com |
Vue Entertainment (stylised as vue), formerly known as SBC International Cinemas, is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC acquired 36 Warner Village cinemas. There are now 69 Vue cinemas, with 654 screens totaling 140,500 seats,[1] including the rebranded flagship Warner Village cinema in Leicester Square. In April 2005 the chain acquired the Ster Century chain from Aurora Entertainment; this included the highest grossing cinema in the UK or Ireland at Liffey Valley Shopping Centre in Dublin, Ireland.
As of 20 June 2006, Vue's executive team completed a management buy-out of the company with the backing of Bank Of Scotland Corporate, with the management team retaining a 51% stake.[2] Also, as part of the buy-out, Vue took full ownership of the four Village sites it had been operating under contract from Village Roadshow. The private equity firm Doughty Hanson & Co acquired Vue in 2010.
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Vue's multiplexes vary in size from 4 to 27 screens and as a result the staffing of each site is slightly different. Each cinema is run by the management team. This team will consist of one general manager (GM) assisted by between 2 and 5 other members of the management team, depending on the size and complexity of the site. The general manager has general control of the running of the cinema at site level, whilst the other members of the management team assist the GM. Team Leaders act as duty managers and are responsible for the operational running of a cinema on a shift basis. Customer Assistants serve guests throughout the cinema and report to the management team.
In addition to this, all cinemas have a dedicated projection team, responsible for the running of the "box" and the maintenance of the projection and sound equipment. The projection department is structured much like the rest of the cinema. The Technical Manager has overall responsibility, supported by a Senior Projectionist. They are accompanied by a team of 2 to 4 full or part time projection staff, some of which can also share duties with the standard operation of the cinema.
In 2006 Vue completed the rollout of the Vista Entertainment Solutions integrated Point of Sale software to every site.[3] Prior to this the majority of Vue cinemas ran the WaBITS ticketing system, developed in-house in London by Warner Bros. International Cinemas. This was an internal system used in all former Warner Village cinemas until 2007, when the division responsible for development was closed owing to the sale of the remaining joint venture cinema chains. WaBTIS continues to be used in Japan by Warner Mycal Cinemas who now own the rights to the system.
With the new system customers can buy tickets at any retail point in the cinema, as well as online through the company website. Vue are the first major cinema operator in the UK to implement this "single point of sale" concept. Some cinemas (including those in Aberdeen, Birkenhead, Camberley, Cardiff, Carlisle, Cwmbran, Hull Princes Quay, The Leeds Light, Hartlepool, Merthyr, Harrow, Northampton and Swansea) have no dedicated box office, meaning that all transactions are carried out at the retail stand.
As of 31 May 2010 there are 68 Vue Cinema sites across the UK and Republic of Ireland, and one site located in the Forum Algave, Portugal.
The newest Vue Cinema, the company's 71st cinema, opened 11am 16 July 2010 at The Rock, Bury. Two days earlier, on Wednesday 14 July 2010 one of the oldest existing Vue sites, at Park 66 in Pilsworth, Bury (opened as Warner Cinema in June 1989) was closed.
The cinema site at The O2 Arena, once controlled by Vue, is now operated as a Cineworld.
The company will open another cinema at the Westfield Stratford shopping centre in September 2011, and has announced another site to open in Halifax during 2012.
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