BELFAST technology firm Kainos is paying more than £7 million to take all its staff to the cinema . . . .
The AIM-listed digital services and platforms provider has bought a site at Bankmore Square, currently home of the Movie House cinema, for its new global headquarters.
The site received planning committee approval in May 2017 for a replacement 250,000 sq ft grade A office building.
Kainos - which employs more than 1,400 people across 12 offices in Europe, the US and Canada - will be submitting a revised planning application and expects to be moved into Bankmore Square in two years' time.
It will be the third major office move announced in recent weeks for Belfast city centre impacting on thousands of workers.
Deloitte signed up as the anchor tenant in a new £85m Bedford Street development, which will be home to 1,000 of its Northern Ireland employees.
And PwC is relocating 2,000 staff from Waterfront Plaza to the £70m nine-storey Merchant Square complex straddling the junction of Wellington Place and Upper Queen Street.
Kainos, which is on course to achieve its ninth consecutive year of growth in revenue and staff numbers, said the new premises will allow it to grow and scale its workforce to support the next stage of the group's growth.
Chief executive Brendan Mooney said: "Our people remain central to everything we do and we want to ensure that our staff work in the best environment possible.
"As well as the additional capacity that the office will bring to our business and workforce, this investment, and the location of our new HQ, signals our commitment to retaining and attracting the best staff."
He added: "We remain focused on providing exceptional careers and working conditions for all at Kainos and hope to close this transaction soon."
The £65m Bankmore Square office block is the brainchild the Richland Group, which is headed up by celebrity property developer and former TV presenter Gary McCausland.
As a result of the changes, the popular Dublin Road Movie House will now close at the end of May after trading for 12 years, with its 33 full- and part-time staff members being offer the chance to work at other cinemas within the group.
Managing director Michael McAdam said: "We’ve seen a big shift in cinema attendance out of Belfast city centre to suburban cinemas, which offer free parking.
“It was a difficult decision whether to sell or reinvest in the site. It is with a heavy heart that we decided on the latter and we wish Kainos every success with the redevelopment of the site for their new headquarters.”
