Bingo hall operator to cut 570 jobs

Nottingham headquartered Buzz Bingo is set to axe 570 jobs and shut 26 clubs as part of a rescue deal.

Buzz will close bingo halls in Chatham, Salford, Salisbury, Antelope Park, Banbury, Boston, Bournemouth, Bridlington, Carlisle, Chorley, Cramlington, Derby Foresters, Edinburgh Westerhailes, Harpurhey, Hereford, Kilmarnock, Milton Keynes, Oxford Kassam, Stockland Green, Tamworth, Wednesbury, Weymouth, Wigan Robin Park, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Wythenshawe.

The move comes as the firm gets ready to re-open its remaining venues on August 6.

Chris Matthews, CEO of Buzz Bingo, said: “Our Buzz Bingo community means the world to us, and we know how disappointing this news will be – especially for those of our customers who are losing their local club, and of course, our colleagues – we know that we are more than just a club, we are part of your community, and for that, I am really sorry.

“We could never have expected this outcome when we closed our doors on 21 March, but the coronavirus crisis is a completely one-off event. The decision to restructure our club portfolio is the right way to secure our long-term future and make sure that we can still bring bingo to our customers in the majority of our clubs around the country and online.”