Klerksdorp Record, Klerksdorp - Rumours have it that Ster-Kinekor have already closed their cinemas in Matlosana Mall. That is not true!
The cinema complex are top notch and with a string of top movies coming during the school holidays, the cinemas should do very well.
The CEO Mark Sardi announced recently that the company will be closing nine complexes, with others under review. Matlosana Mall’s cinemas were destined to be closed later this year but it seems good news is in order as the local movie centre is still open on selective hours after the restructuring process concluded end of May.
“The company concluded the section 189 and restructuring process at the end of May. There is very good news. We initially assessed that 226 jobs might be affected. However, we ended up retrenching just 52 employees, and these were largely head-office based. A positive outcome is that we managed to mitigate the impact on headcount. On cinema closures in the country, nine of them were earmarked to close. Seven were saved and only two closed. Boardwalk in Richard’s Bay and the Greenstone Mall were impacted,” he said.
That means Ster-Kinekor at Matlosana Mall will stay open!
Sardi said, “During the section 189 process, we took the opportunity to revisit and rethink our value proposition. Consumers say going to watch a film in cinema is expensive, and that is their reality. Going to a movie in South Africa is around half of what it would cost in the US or UK, but that is immaterial to cinemagoers who, when going to a cinema plus the food and beverages, perceive it to be an expensive outing.
“We need to demonstrate to our customers that it is a unique and valuable experience. We are currently working on new ideas and concepts that we will start testing at select sites over the next few months. We have to manage this 12-18 month period where the content might be a bit thin in some months, while managing pricing and offering real value to the customer,” he said.
