On its own... bingo hall up for auction
THE “struggling” owner of a Hucknall bingo centre fears he is going to have to shut up shop unless he can find an investor in the next month.
Tharmalingam Sritharan has run Byron Bingo for the past 14 years but a series of major break-ins and dwindling numbers is making it difficult to carry on.
The 61-year-old has now made the “hard” decision to put the building – which also has a cinema upstairs - for sale in an online auction at the end of July.
He wants to find someone to buy the building and invest in the bingo hall and cinema but it is being sold as “a blank canvas” by auctioneers John Pye Properties and could instead be turned into shops or flats.
Mr Sritharan told the Post: “I did everything to keep it going but nothing seemed to happen.
“It is hard because I got broken into and they destroyed everything and took every penny from the machines. Bingo is not running like it did 10 years ago because of the smoking ban, so we were already struggling and on top of that [the robbery] happened.
“My customers are really upset. They love this place – that is why I have tried to keep it going. I worry about them, they are all like friends and family to me.”
The centre, in High Street, was hit twice by thieves in less than a year.
In October 2016, they disabled the alarm system before ransacking it, taking “every penny” and damaging fruit machines which cost between £10,000 and £15,000 to replace.
It was struck again in March 2017, though this time on smaller scale and only one machine was damaged.
Mr Sritharan says his insurance company refused to pay out and he had to rent the new machines. All in all he estimates he lost £60,000 and half his income.
The 300-plus seater bingo hall now attracts only 50-60 loyal customers on an evening.
Although Mr Sritharan believes a revamp could improve its fortunes, his family worry about the stress he is under and if no-one offers to take it over, he is willing to sell to a developer and move on.
The building first opened as a cinema in 1936 and still boasts a now-closed 350-seat auditorium which Mr Sritharan says is attracting attention.
Richard Reed, head of property for the auctioneers, described it as a “unique” site.
“Its established high street location means that it retains great potential as an entertainment venue, especially if it is given a cosmetic makeover,” he said.
“Alternatively, the property could be of interest to investors looking to develop a residential offering.”
It is being sold with vacant possession and will be available online between July 25 and 26.