Rushden town centre bingo hall sold for £400,000 at auction
Flutters Bingo Hall in College Street, Rushden has sold for a total of £400,000 at an auction this morning, reaching £240,000 over its guide price.
The building, which opened as The Ritz cinema in 1936, was sold at a Savills property auction today (October 29). After climbing from a starting price of £140,000, bidding stalled somewhat at the £240,000 mark, before a second wind had the property in College Street soar to the winning bid of £400,000.
The building was most recently used as a bingo hall after being converted in September 1982, and had been for the last 40 years. Before that, it was used as a cinema.
In December 2022, bosses made the decision to close, citing the unexpected Covid pandemic, issues with public transport, and the projection of rising costs to run a successful town centre business.
The listing notes that the building is located in a conservation area, but is not listed, and adds that the building is in ‘prime retail pitch in the town centre’ and ‘may benefit from change of use/development potential.’ The 12,645 sq ft building has parking for approximately 10 cars.
The Rushden Ritz Theatre Preservation group was founded following its closure, hoping to find a way to keep it open as a multi-use theatre, cinema, bingo hall and activity space.
It is not yet known who has purchased the building.