Former Gala Bingo Club Building, Back on the Market
The former bingo hall operated by Gala Bingo in Nuneaton has been put back on the market at a reduced sale price. This is a landmark building that started its life as the Ritz Cinema in Abbey Street, just two years before the start of World War II. From ₤1.5 million the building is now being offered for sale at ₤1.2 million.
This follows the breakdown in talks with a potential buyer. The site is being re-marketed by agents because of the abortive negotiations. The Ritz served film fans in the town for nearly fifty years and closed in 1984 when it became a bingo hall. Gala bingo pulled out of the building last year in December as part of the rationalization of properties plan throughout the UK. The building has been on the real estate market for seven months.
Rumours that Primark was set to take over the former bingo hall were quashed by chartered surveyors, Wright Silverwood who are presently marketing the site. Lengthy talks have been held with potential developers but so far these have been abortive. Under certain conditions the site will allow for substantial redevelopment, but thy do not say if the building is going to be destroyed.
It is all too sad to see this kind of action happening in the land based bingo industry throughout the UK. More and more we see these kinds of closures and the buildings being on-sold at a song to the closest bidder. UK bingo is certainly undergoing some kind of dramatic change, both in the online industry where business is thriving, and in the land based business where things just seem to be going faster downhill by the minute.
