With your help… we plan to reopen Phoenix in early October

We promised you an update on our plans for reopening Phoenix.

We would also like to ask you to complete a short survey to help us understand your feelings about returning to us, and what we need to do to make you as comfortable as possible to do so. As a thank you, we will enter you into a draw for a chance to win one of two £50 Love2Shop gift vouchers, accepted at over 20,000 UK stores.

Last month, the Prime Minister announced that cinemas could begin reopening in early July. Like many independent cinemas, we felt this was too early. We chose to hold off until the autumn when we anticipated our customers would be more confident and the risks reduced. Unfortunately, the renewed lockdown in Leicester has reminded us that the situation remains precarious.

Our current plan is to reopen at some point in early October. We will let you know a specific date closer to the time or, if necessary, revise our plans in light of changing circumstances.

In the meantime, we are hard at work putting in place the many preparations required to be able to welcome you back. Guided by the UK Cinema Association’s guidelines and our own detailed risk assessment, here are some of the things you can expect when we reopen:

Social distancing – we will be carefully managing the movement of guests through the building, putting in place distance markers, signposting and barrier screens at key points.

Cinema seating – generous spacing will be introduced between seats to ensure every individual or family group is correctly socially distanced from any other person. The capacity of both screens will be reduced to support this.

Film scheduling – we will build in more time between screenings to allow audiences to enter and exit safely, and provide time for thorough cleaning between shows.

Tickets & payments – everyone will be encouraged to book tickets online and we will enable transactions to be conducted in the building without the need to handle physical items such as tickets, cards or cash.

Food & drink – our Café Bar will reopen with a reduced menu and fewer tables spaced further apart. We are looking at how we may use smartphone technology to display our menu, take orders and minimise unnecessary contact.

Washrooms – special consideration will be given to how we support social distancing in our toilets and washrooms.

Cleaning & hygiene – we will have an enhanced cleaning programme in place, with hand sanitiser available throughout the building. Our staff will have access to personal protective equipment, and barrier screens will be in place to shield staff and customers at reception, the shop and elsewhere.

Training – our staff will be thoroughly trained about Covid-19 symptoms and routes to infection, and how to implement the measures we are introducing to safeguard guests and staff.

Test & Trace – all our customers will be able to register using a simple and secure system as required by government guidelines.

We look forward to reopening and welcoming you back safely to Phoenix. Please complete our short survey to help us understand how you feel about returning and the measures we are putting in place.

Thank you.