300 Nightclub Staff To Lose Jobs

2 November 2011, 12:27 | Updated: 2 November 2011, 12:43

Three hundred people are set to lose their jobs after the UK's biggest nightclub company went into administration.

Eleven venues owned by Milton Keynes-based Luminar will shut, including Northampton's Lava and Ignite club (right) where 22 year old student Nabila Nanfuka died in a crush on Wednesday 19 October 2011.  Two other women were critically injured.

Luminar went into adminstration a week after that tragedy, after racking up big losses.  Lenders refused to extend a period of leniency.

Luminar owned the Lava and Ignite, Oceana, Liquid and Envy brands.  Among the other venues that will close will be Hotshots in Hemel Hempstead.

The administrators are looking for buyers for the venues that will shut.  They say they were loss-making and not a core part of the business.

Alan Hudson, who is handling the administration process, said "The core estate of clubs that were open this weekend delivered excellent trading results over what was a very busy Halloween trading period for the business.

"We would like to thank the management, employees and key suppliers who have provided their support in helping us to ensure that the business continues to trade, and provide us with the best possible opportunity to secure a sale of the business as a going concern.

"To date we have received a large number of enquires in the business as a whole and individual sites, and are actively engaged in discussions with these parties."

The full list of venues that will shut, and the staff whose jobs will be at risk, are as follows:

Brighton – Tru (30 full and part time employees)
Bury St Edmonds – Brazilia (15 full and part time employees)
Basingstoke – Liquid (18 full and part time employees)
Wigan – Elements and Legend (30 full and part time employees)
Hemel Hempstead – Hotshots (30 full and part time employees)
High Wycombe – Pure and Life on Mars (20 full and part time employees)
Northampton – Lava and Ignite (40 full and part time employees)
Mansfield – Liquid (20 full and part time employees)
Redditch – Fuse (15 full and part time employees)
Sunderland – Liquid and Diva (30 full and part time employees)
Swindon – Liquid and Envy (30 full and part time employees)