McKenzie Group has acquired its fifth live music venue, meaning a further expansion of the successful Academy brand.
The company has concluded negotiations and purchased the former New Bedford Cinema in Glasgow from Scottish property developer EDI, with plans to refurbish the venue and open it as the Glasgow Academy in March 2003.
MKG currently owns and operates three other Academy branded live music/club venues Brixton Academy in south London, Birmingham Academy and Bristol Academy, as wellas London's Shepherd's Bush Empire and Bar Academy in Birmingham city centre.
The New Bedford originally opened in 1921 as a cinema theatre venue, though has been closed for the last 10 years.
An extensive £3m refurbishment programme to create the new Glasgow Academy will begin immediately under MKG's in-house project team headed by Archie McIntosh previously responsible for the refurbishment programme of McKenzie Group's Birmingham Academy, Bristol Academy and Bar Academy and Scotland's award-winning design company Burns Design.
The new venue will feature a state-of-the art sound and lighting system and a fully flexible capacity of 2,500 for full building usage to cater for live gigs and cutting-edge dance events and club nights.
MKG managing director John Northcote commented: "The latest Academy will deliver the same exciting and vibrant diary of rock, pop, jazz, indie and dance as the Brixton, Birmingham and Bristol venues.
"We will be working closely with leading Scottish promoters DF Concerts, who have an excellent local knowledge."
Spokesman Geoff Ellis from DF Concerts commented: "We are very excited about the Glasgow Academy and feel that it will be a very successful and welcome addition to the buoyant concert market in the city.
"We look forward to the opportunity of bringing more concerts to Glasgow and feelthat the venue's capacity is ideal and fills a significant gap in the market."
McKenzie Group Limited is a privately owned company formed in 1998 by Ian Howard and John Northcote.
Its shareholders include leading live music promoters SJM Concerts, Metropolis Music and Republic of Ireland-based MCD Management.