Sankeys to close as focus shifts to Ibiza

CULT Manchester nightclub Sankeys is to close indefinitely next month.

The dance club has operated from Beehive Mill in Ancoats since 1994 but owner David Vincent said he wants to focus on business opportunities in Ibiza.

However, TheBusinessDesk.com has learned that Beehive Mill Properties, the company controlled by Mr Vincent which owns the mill, is being wound up following a successful petition in February by HM Revenue & Customs over unpaid tax.

Sankeys is a separate venture and is a tenant along with a collection of other businesses. Bands also use the building for rehearsal space.

The nightclub was surrounded by derelict mills when it was first opened by Rupert Campbell and Andy Spiro and it has since contributed to the revival of the Ancoats area despite several periods when it closed down.

Mr Vincent became involved in 2000 and he launched the club in Ibiza in 2011. In a statement he said: “I have decided to close Sankeys in Manchester indefinitely this summer as I focus my attention on our third year in Ibiza.

“I want our Ibiza project to be the best club in the world, just like what we have achieved previously in Manchester, as I get the feeling this could be our summer. But I need my production and staff from Manchester to come to Ibiza with me to achieve this goal and therefore both clubs cannot be open at the same time.

“Who knows when we will be back in Manchester, or if we ever will be back, or what comes next in this great city I love. I want this current chapter of the club’s history to end with a spectacular party, so we are rounding off the May bank holiday with a huge line-up.”

As Sankeys prepares to bow out, the Halle Orchestra is moving into the area. It has just completed work on the former St Peter’s church on Blossom Street, which will be its first rehearsal space. There are also plans to stage concerts at the venue.

Sankeys’ farewell party will take place on bank holiday Monday, May 6.