A leading Cork businessman, James Barber together with his son Dave Barber, today announced that they are in the final stages of preparation for a new entertainment facility in the City and have commenced the recruitment process which will see 30 staff employed this year in a variety of roles. The facility – called Rock Bingo is a brand new 1,000 seated bingo facility, which is about to open in the old Waters Glass premises in Togher, Cork.
The resource will be a modern entertainment facility, featuring high tech bingo systems, customised seating and a separate full service food and beverage area. The Barbers, as well as owning the business will be managing the facility and have been operators at the address for over a quarter of a century as Waters Glass.
James Barber, one of the family owners of the development commented on the jobs opportunity “We have been located at this premises for over quarter of a century. As an owner of Waters Glass I was devastated in March of this year when we had to close our doors and let so many staff go. At its peak Waters Glass employed 65 people. Since then I have been diligently looking for a new business to replace the lost jobs to the area, which has been quite challenging in the current environment as you can imagine.”
James added “Earlier this year the very unusual idea of a bingo hall was presented to me and eventually after extensive research in Ireland and the UK we decided that there was a big gap in the local market for such a safe entertainment centre in Cork city. We have committed €600,000 to the project, which is necessary to provide a first class facility at the premises. Both my sons Steven and Dave will be working in the business alongside my brother Peter”.Bingo of this scale does not currently exist in Cork but has been in operation quite extensively in a few venues in Dublin including the national stadium and is enjoying a revival over the past few years as it is seen as a cost effective night out when most people cannot afford the high cost of other entertainment options.
The new facility in Togher will have the most modern and comfortable facilities and will also include a full service restaurant and cafe making it an ideal location for socialising, which is core to the whole entertainment proposition.
Asked about opening dates Dave Barber, son of James commented: “We are now coming to the final stages of the project. All the necessary planning permissions and fire certificates for the venture are in place and we are now moving in the restaurant equipment, bingo seating and electronic communications system. We are also negotiating with local food and beverage suppliers for the restaurant and cafe.”
Dave who is handling the day to day logistics at Rock Bingo added “Standard practice in Ireland for operating a Bingo Hall is that the club must benefit local charity. This represents a huge financial opportunity for the nominated organisations and we are taking the time to choose worthy local charities that will benefit from the significant funds boost, although we would welcome any local organisations that require funding to contact us. Our plan is that we will be ready to open towards the end of October”.
In terms of the unusual nature of the business James Barber commented: “I have been involved in many different types of businesses down through the years in Cork. In a recession you have to look for different types of opportunities and this venture will not only create jobs for the locality, provide funds to worthy causes but it also provides a new, fun and exciting entertainment centre for Cork people”.
In terms of the new jobs that will be created at Rock Bingo there will be a mixture of positions available including Management, Floor, Security, Cashier, Office, Parking and Cleaning staff. Applications can be sent by email to dbarber@rockbingo.ie or by post to Dave Barber, Rock Bingo Club, Togher, Cork.
For further information visit www.rockbingo.ie.
