Jongleurs closes Cardiff club
Up to 50 jobs lost
Jongleurs has closed its £2million Cardiff venue, six years after it opened.The comedy club at the Millennium Plaza development in the centre of the city was one of two that troubled owners Regent Inns has put up for sale.
In September, the company said it would trade as normal until a buyer was found. But now the 400-capacity venue has closed its doors, with the loss of up to 50 jobs, following the normally lucrative pre-Christmas party season.
Regent Inns is also hoping to sell Edinburgh Jongleurs, but the venue is continuing to operate as normal.
When Jongleurs founder Maria Kempinska sold her eight comedy clubs in 2000, the deal valued Jongleurs alone at £30million. Today, the whole of Regent Inns – which includes 15 comedy clubs plus the closed Cardiff site, the Walkabout chain of 50 Australian theme bars and 31 Old Orleans restaurants – is worth just £3million.
Cardiff is the second Jongleurs club to fail. Its site in Manchester’s gay village closed in 2006.
Published: 13 Jan 2009
