OMNIPLEX Cinemas has opened its doors at The Outlet retail park in Banbridge, bringing a £4.5 million investment to the area and creating 25 brand new full and part-time jobs.
The arrival of the first ever Omniplex Cinema to Banbridge is part of a recent investment at the retail park from real-estate management firm Tristan Capital Partners and local company, The Lotus Group.
Speaking on the new venture, Northern Ireland operations director of the Omniplex Group, Paul John Anderson, spoke of how company were interested in the location for some time.
“The opportunity to locate at The Outlet, during this exciting period of investment and development, posed the ideal time for us to finally break ground in Banbridge and continue the expansion of Omniplex Cinemas in Northern Ireland. Our goal was to create the highest quality cinema experience and have invested £4.5m to date, creating 25 new jobs all employed locally," he said.
The cinema is set to be one of the busiest in the north with almost 6,000 blockbuster screenings scheduled for the remainder of 2016 including Ghostbusters, Star Trek Beyond, The BFG, Finding Dory, to name a few. The high-tech cinema boasts an acclaimed Maxx screen, guaranteeing the viewer their most immersive cinematic experience ever. Omniplex Banbridge is home to the north's first ever Maxx screen with dual projection and this advanced a sound system.
Chris Nelmes, centre manager at The Outlet commented on how the cinema’s arrival marked a time of exciting growth for the retail park.
"The OUTLET Banbridge is undergoing a period of investment to re-invigorate the current offering. Part of this involves enhancing the leisure offering so that Northern Irish families have even more to enjoy here," he said.
"The first sign of this is evident as leading cinema group, Omniplex open the doors to their state of the art, eight-screen complex. The corner where the brand new Omniplex is located will become a dedicated food and beverage section and we have wasted no time with work on a new McDonalds already under way. We look forward to engaging with the local community as further changes take place on site across leisure, food and beverage and retail.”
The Outlet Banbridge was recently acquired in what was of the largest retail deals to ever take place in the region. Over 50 leading brands including Nike, DKNY, LK Bennett and Gap have a presence at the 204,354 sq ft outlet shopping village, alongside cafes, restaurants and leisure activities. Further local and international fashion brands will be joining the fold in the coming months as part of the substantial development.
