Buzz Bingo has announced it will close its Shrewsbury club at the end of this month, after the Grade II-listed former cinema building it has occupied for eight years was purchased by developers.

Despite the venue on Castle Gates welcoming 2,400 individual customers over the past 12 months, each making more than 11,000 visits, the final session will be held on 31 January with staff set to be redeployed to neighbouring clubs.

“We’re incredibly proud of our Buzz Bingo Shrewsbury community and our colleagues, and we understand how upsetting this news will be,” said regional manager Mike Ellis. “This closure is not a reflection of the people who made the club so special.”

“We’d like to thank all Shrewsbury customers for their loyalty, support, and the many memories shared in this remarkable venue.”

The Granada Cinema building opened in 1934, and operated as an independent bingo hall for 45 years before Buzz moved onto the site in 2018.

Despite the local popularity of bingo, a masterplan published by Shrewsbury Council in 2021 identified the Granada building as ripe for redevelopment, describing its current use as “a neglected bingo hall.”

“The building deserves to be restored to its former glory, with a more suitable occupant to secure its vibrant future.”