Page not found, Oops!

Back to the Home page?

Really Local Group is crowdfunding!

[Approved by Seedrs, Capital at risk.]

We’re excited to be launching a new crowdfunding campaign via Seedrs. Hear from Really Local Group’s founder Preston Benson about how the funds raised will contribute to enhance our offer and bring more multi-functional venues to other really local communities across the UK.

If you love what we do and want to contribute to our mission of bringing cinema, culture & entertainment to really local communities through venues like ours, invest in our project today on Seedrs. Approved by Seedrs, Capital at risk.

Sutton Council and Really Local Group have announced plans to create Throwley Yard, transforming the former Chicago’s nightclub into a new cultural hub for Sutton.

The new venue, set to open in late 2023, will feature a cinema, food hall and flexible space for a range of cultural activities. The site, between Sutton High Street and Manor Park, will be brought back to life after standing empty for nearly ten years.

Throwley Yard will be a carbon-neutral venue, in line with the Council’s commitment to tackling climate change and achieving net zero carbon emissions as a borough.

The plans are part of the Council’s plans to create a vibrant and sustainable town centre with great culture, food, shopping and modern flexible working. Last year the Council secured £11.35 million from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund to deliver Throwley Yard and three other projects that will make this vision a reality. It has just announced plans in next year’s Council budget to invest £30million in the borough’s High Streets and the London Cancer Hub, to bring jobs and grow Sutton’s economy.

The Council launched its search for a partner to create and operate Throwley Yard last September, and plans to appoint regeneration experts Really Local Group were approved by councillors on the Strategy and Resource Committee on Monday 14 February.

Really Local Group are the people behind Catford Mews, an independent cinema, pop-up food market and entertainment venue in Lewisham, London’s Borough of Culture in 2022. Two years ago, they announced their partnership with Southwark Council to restore an iconic central marketplace in Bermondsey. The group is committed to delivering regeneration that is tailored to the local area and community, and promises to continue its record of success with Throwley Yard.

Under its plans for Sutton High Street, the Council has already delivered the transformation of Market House, which houses a community hub and the Sound Lounge live music venue. The local authority is also working to create Sutton Works, a co-working space and space for start-ups in the upper floors of the former BHS department store, set to open in summer 2023. Last year it bought the St Nicholas Centre, helping to ensure the town centre’s future by giving the Council greater control over a key landmark on the High Street.

Councillor Jayne McCoy, Deputy Leader of Sutton Council, said: “This is a really exciting moment. By working with Really Local Group we’ll be bringing a Sutton landmark back into use after nearly 10 years, transforming the old Chicago’s into a hub of daytime and evening activity that will bring a new buzz to the town centre.

“We were impressed by Really Local Group’s approach because it aligns with our own commitment to boosting our economy and culture by creating spaces for community, business and artists to grow. We’ve got big plans for Sutton Town Centre and Throwley Yard is a key part of them. I can’t wait to see this site come to life again.”

Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group, commented: “Really Local Group creates multi-use social and entertainment hubs by repurposing original venues, and we’re incredibly excited to be working with Sutton Council on this project. The repurposing of the site of this former nightclub aims to bring local businesses, jobs and lifestyle opportunities to the local area, offering a place for the community to enjoy live performances, arts classes and much more.”

Really Local Group appoints Everyman’s CEO as Business Development Director

 

Pioneering high street regeneration developer and operator, Really Local Group, has today announced the appointment of Crispin Lilly as Business Development Director.

Crispin Lilly, who joins Really Local Group from popular boutique cinema chain, Everyman Cinemas, has nearly 30 years’ experience in the UK cinema sector. The appointment comes at an exciting time for Really Local Group, which has two successful projects under its belt – Catford Mews (2019) in South East London and Reading Biscuit Factory (2021) – and eight other developments and new acquisitions in the pipeline.

During his six years as CEO of Everyman, Crispin oversaw the exponential growth of the company which grew from 10 to 35 sites throughout his tenure. Prior to this, he worked for over twenty years as VP Business Affairs at Cineworld looking after all aspects of commercial revenues including both the film and retail elements of the business, as well as being part of the launch team for Unlimited – the world’s first subscription cinema scheme – and overseeing the integration of Picturehouse Cinemas in 2012. For the last five years Crispin has been a trustee of Medicinema, a charity that builds and runs cinemas in the heart of NHS hospitals; in 2021 he took a hands-on role within this team working as Interim CEO.

Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group, commented: Crispin brings a wealth of experience, and we are proud to welcome him to Really Local Group. 2022 is the breakout year for our business which is entering into a period of significant growth. He is a very important addition to the team and his appointment signals a very exciting time for the company.”

Crispin Lilly, Business Development Director of Really Local Group added:What Preston and the team are delivering at the Really Local Group is both exciting and extremely relevant for the future of our high streets and their communities. I have long believed the cinema should be more than just ‘seeing a film’, and the Really Local Group’s revolutionary venues and inspired workforce manage this in a refreshing and accessible way.

“With a clear focus on putting smaller, flexible venues back into truly local locations, regenerating both the property and the places they are in is timely and the opportunity for growth is vast. I am genuinely delighted to join the team, helping to refine and evolve the offer further, finding and delivering so many more unique sites across the country.” 

Really Local Group delivers true regeneration and development by launching multi-use venues that are uniquely designed to embrace the culture of the surrounding area, sensitively responding to the local demographic’s needs and aspirations. All venues are designed to provide affordable and inclusive cultural community hubs, ultimately acting as a catalyst for the wider regeneration of the local area. Each location has cinema at its heart, along with live entertainment space, a full-service bar and food offering supporting local brands and food vendors to help boost the local economy.

Are you talented behind the camera, and want to get stuck into an exciting project? We are looking for someone who specialises in film, photography and audio to produce captivating content of our Projects and Members, to showcase them on our digital channels.

 

Really Local Group is a pioneer as a high-street regeneration developer and operator. For several years, well before the pandemic struck, founder Preston Benson had recognised that the high-street would need a ‘re-invention’ if it was to survive changing consumer habits such as the onslaught of on-line retail, and he has been committed to finding ways to ‘put the heart back into the high-street’. With numerous shopping centres and retail outlets closing daily, Really Local Group has had the vision to successfully repurpose these retail spaces, restoring and/or renewing cultural infrastructure by creating multi-use venues that will serve as a focal point for locals to use as a much-needed social and cultural hub.

Our projects are making headlines and are the model for other developments all over the world. If you’re super creative and want to get stuck in creating incredible content for our Projects, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities Include:

  •  Producing engaging content for all digital channels, including Instagram Reels and TikTok
  •  Travelling to our Projects to shoot new menus, new Members, new spaces and live events at our venues
  •  Working with the Marketing Team to create branded assets (such as posters, flyers and more) for use both online and offline

 

Download the full job description here: RLG Content Creator 2022

To apply, email your CV and a cover letter to Noemi Kelly at [email protected] with the subject line “Content Creator Job Application”.

The closing date for this position is 31/01/22 at 12:00pm, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Do you have 2+ years experience in marketing? Are you interested in helping us to shine a light on our venues, and tell the stories of all the incredible local entrepreneurs that call them home?

 

Really Local Group is a pioneer as a high-street regeneration developer and operator. For several years, well before the pandemic struck, founder Preston Benson had recognised that the high-street would need a ‘re-invention’ if it was to survive changing consumer habits such as the onslaught of on-line retail, and he has been committed to finding ways to ‘put the heart back into the high-street’. With numerous shopping centres and retail outlets closing daily, Really Local Group has had the vision to successfully repurpose these retail spaces, restoring and/or renewing cultural infrastructure by creating multi-use venues that will serve as a focal point for locals to use as a much-needed social and cultural hub.

Our projects are making headlines and are the model for other developments all over the world. If you’re super creative and want to get stuck in creating incredible content for our Projects, we’d love to hear from you.

We are recruiting for a Marketing Manager to join our growing team. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities Include:

  • Managing digital channels, including social media and website
  • Working with a specialist Content Creator to brief and create captivating still and moving content
  • Support our PR Agency to secure exciting local and national press coverage

 

Download the full job description here: RLG Marketing Manager 2022

To apply, email your CV and a cover letter to Noemi Kelly at [email protected] with the subject line “Marketing Manager Job Application”.

The closing date for this position is 31/01/22 at 12:00pm, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

With our Ealing venue opening in 2022, we’re on the lookout for the perfect name that will resonate with the local community. Read the full press release below.

Championing the area’s film studio heritage, a new multi-use cinema and cultural venue is set to open its doors in Ealing next Spring. As a testament to genuine community engagement and consultation, developer and operator Really Local Group and British Land have today announced a competition inviting West London locals to suggest a name for the new venue.

The old 15,000 sq ft Karma Club, located on the ground floor and basement of The Broadway in Ealing, West London, is being transformed into a new independent three screen cinema, live music, and mixed-use community arts venue. In response to the locals’ needs and changes in working patterns as a result of the pandemic, the space will be flexible to accommodate activities ranging from co-working during the day, to community events and performances in the evening. The venue will also serve as a collaborative space for businesses and community members to connect and a place for local talent to showcase artistic works.

As construction gets underway, Really Local Group is appealing to local residents to enter its naming competition. Those who believe they have a perfect name recommendation for the venue are asked to tweet the developers at @reallylocalgrp with or email their suggestions by Sunday 21st November 2021. The winner will receive an annual membership complete with free cinema tickets and further discounted cinema tickets, food and drink, as well as an invitation to the exclusive venue launch party (plus 10 friends).

Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group, commented:

“As we progress with the development of our new Ealing venue, we are excited to launch this naming competition to find out from local residents and businesses what they believe the venue should be called. The Borough has a fantastic arts and film heritage which I’m sure will be reflected in the suggestions, and we very much look forward to reviewing each entry and announcing the winner in due course.”

The well-established creative community in Ealing will play an integral part in how the space is run, and will have the opportunity to use the venue as a platform for grass roots comedy, music and theatre.  The venue will be the first independent cinema to open in Ealing in over a decade; it will promote a diverse mix of cinema and performance programming with events hosted in collaboration with local arts groups. Breaking away from exclusionary pricing seen at other cinema chains, the pricing will be affordable resulting in an inclusive ‘go-to’ destination for art and culture lovers. In Really Local Group’s signature style, the fit out will be inspired by the surrounding architecture and influenced by the existing creative communities.

Contact Form

Federica (Really Local Group’s programme and Marketing Manager) caught up with Phil Wren, owner and designer of Wren Architects. She asked him what his inspiration for the space was. Here’s what he had to say;

“The space we have created for The Reading Biscuit Factory has been repurposed and reshaped from what was a stockroom for Argos at first floor. It was a dark box, perfect for conversion into cinema but not for the social and community aspect of the Reading Biscuit Factory which is about gathering, meeting, entertainment and creativity. In response we created a large window at the front to bring daylight into the main space and opened up the corner above the entrance to create a loggia or terrace that would bring the social space outside. The large window and the loggia create visual connections and permeability to the street below and communicate the new purpose of the space, inviting people up.

The three cinemas have been designed with large screens, optimised viewing from comfortable seats, great sound systems and filtered ventilation systems.

What was a closed, inaccessible, dark space has been transformed into an open, light, accessible amenity for the community of Reading – an injection of positivity for a post pandemic future – local, creative and sociable”

 

Reading Biscuit Factory
Reading Biscuit Factory co-working space

It’s been two weeks since the opening and we have been flooded with amazing feedback from the community. Keep an eye out on the Reading Biscuit Factory website for more information on events, films, food stalls and more!

As restrictions ease across the country from Monday 19th July, we will keep in place the following measures in our venues:

  • A seat on either side of each booking will still be taken off sale when booking tickets for a film.
  • Our staff will continue to wear face masks and protective screens will still be in place around the venue.
  • Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the venue.
  • Face masks for customers are encouraged when moving around the venue, but optional.
  • The screens will still be regularly deep-cleaned.
  • Seating capacity will be increased in the food hall and bar area.
  • Customers will be able to order directly at the bar, but QR codes will still be available to use for table service.
  • From today, there is no restriction on group sizes indoors.

We can’t wait to see you soon!

Ahead of opening its doors to the public, the Reading Biscuit Factory is currently looking for a local food entrepreneur to take over one of its three indoor food stalls.

The ambitious multi-purpose venue will include three cinema screens, a flexible event space, food kiosks with a variety of food and drink offering by local independent vendors, as well as an outdoor terrace, a bar, a café, workspace and more.

The community hub is repurposing the ground and first-floor unit of a former Argos store situated in the Broad Street Mall in the town centre. Our newest venue aims to promote and showcase emerging as well as established local talent through a wide range of live events from local artists and performers; in addition to that, the eclectic film programme will bring to town all the latest box office hits as well as World cinema, independent titles and special live events, in a family-friendly setting with accessible ticket prices.

The venue is looking for a local entrepreneur to take over one of their food stalls. Really Local Group’s founder, Preston Benson, said: “We also wanted to take this opportunity to invite local food entrepreneurs to take up residence in one of our brand new food kiosks. Post pandemic, we want to encourage localism and entrepreneurship and are offering space with no fixed rent”.

If  you are interested in becoming a resident in our food hall, please get in touch via [email protected]. or fill out the contact form below.

Contact Form

 

 

 

 

Our first project was to reinvigorate Catford Mews, transforming an old Poundland into a mixed-use cultural venue, with three cinema screens, live performance space, communal space for locals to host events and community initiatives, a large bar area and a raft of local food vendors.

We are in the community, for the community by creating jobs and serving locals. Our founder, Preston Benson, made it his aim to make Catford Mews the envy of South London, a destination for the people of Catford and the surrounding area, which will spearhead a revival of the Catford Centre.

For more info on Catford Mews, from what’s showing in the cinema through to venue enquiries head to https://catford-mews.co.uk.

Catford Mews BeforeCatford Mews After