Wigan club closes following Luminar’s collapse

SOME 30 jobs are to go at Wigan-based nightclub Liquid and Envy as part of a closure programme embarked upon by the administrators of leisure chain Luminar.

Ernst & Young has closed 11 sites, but it is continuing to seeks a buyer for the plc’s remaining operations, including sites in Oldham and Burnley.

In total, this closure programme will result in around 300 full and part-time job losses across England at clubs in Northampton, Mansfield and Redditch, among others.

E&Y said it had received a large number of enquires about the business both as a whole and individual sites and it was “actively engaged” in discussions.
Luminar operates around 75 nightclubs across the UK, employing up to 3,000 staff.

Last week, Luminar Group Holdings suspended trading of its shares on the London Stock Exchange before calling in administrators from E&Y.

It then announced on Friday it planned to place nine of its group subsidiaries into administration. These include Gems, Lava Ignite, Liquid and Oceana.

A statement from E&Y said the decision to close the 11 clubs represented “an acceleration of management’s ongoing turnaround plans for the business” and reflected a rationalisation of the loss making clubs already identified as ‘non-core’.

“Luminar’s remaining portfolio of night clubs will continue to trade as a going concern as the administrators seek a buyer for the business,” it added.