A DESPERATE bid has been launched to save a historic Scots cinema after all staff lost their jobs.
The Oban Phoenix Cinema plunged into provisional liquidation last month forcing the 70-year-old venue to close its doors.
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The two-screen venue was hammered by the Covid pandemic when the number of viewers plummeted.
Bosses were then hit by inflation and the cost of living crisis which sparked “unsustainable cash flow problems”.
Rising pressures forced the owners to make all eight staff redundant and close the Phoenix.
The cinema first opened in the 1930s but has been on its current site since the 1950s.
It was previously the Highland Cinema until it closed in 2010.
But a massive fundraising effort and celebrity support saw the cinema reopened under community ownership and rebranded as the Oban Phoenix.
Liquidators from accountancy firm Azets are pleading for anyone to come forward and save the cinema.
Blair Milne, Restructuring and Insolvency Partner with Azets and joint provisional liquidator said: “Despite the extensive efforts of the Board of Trustees, many volunteers and supporters, the financial issues affecting Oban Phoenix Cinema caused unsustainable cash flow problems and as such provisional liquidation was the only option.
“We will market the property and assets for sale and try to find a buyer keen to continue operating a cinema on the site.
“We are hopeful that our urgent call for a buyer will appeal to a variety of interested parties including existing cinema operators, an entrepreneur keen to enter the sector or a larger business willing to invest in an important and valued community asset.
“We are asking interested parties to contact Martin McGrellis at Azets by email at martin.mcgrellis@azets.co.uk.
“We will also provide every possible support to the staff that have been made redundant including assistance with the submission of claims to the Redundancy Payments Office and accessing suitable employment support services.”
A cinema spokesperson said they made the decision to close with the “deepest regret” and “great sadness” but were left with no other choice.
They said: “It is with the deepest regret that we have had to close the doors of Oban Phoenix Cinema.
“We have tried to maintain the cinema for the benefit of the community however we have been struggling with a massive decline in footfall alongside a rise in costs over the last few years.
“Unfortunately, numbers have declined even further during the last few months, and it is with great sadness that we have had to close the cinema as it has become insolvent.
“We would like to thank our current dedicated staff and all the community that have supported us with their patronage since 2012.”