Leisure and cinema operator The Light, which was backed by Luke Johnson of Risk Capital Partners in October 2024, has officially opened its latest and most ambitious venue in the heart of Huddersfield.

The Light has ambitious plans for growth, partly due to the rapid increase in profitability of the business, but also with the recent support of Barclays, who have provided a large facility, which will enable the company to invest over £15m in the next couple of years. Barclays are the perfect partner for The Light with their expertise in the Leisure Sector, and The Light are grateful to have their support and guidance.

The Light Huddersfield, which is located within the Kingsgate Shopping Centre, has transformed an old House of Fraser into an exciting cinema and entertainment destination, offering 15 leisure activities and a 6-screen cinema, over 3 floors and 70,000 sq ft. The venue includes an indoor high ropes challenge, Star Quest Laser, a unique interactive football experience, mini-golf course with an animatronic dinosaur, bowling alley and much more.

The development is a key part of Kirklee’s Council’s regeneration programme for Huddersfield, helping to transform the town centre and make it a primary destination within West Yorkshire, bringing another 90 jobs to the area. Its central location, ease of access by road and rail, and provision of good value parking make it an ideal location for The Light. The launch weekend attracted hundreds of visitors and included a celebratory pre-opening event attended by Mayor Noreen Dad and Councillor Steve Mawson.

This opening marks another important milestone in the evolution of The Light from a traditional cinema provider to a diversified entertainment operator. The Light’s model is designed to help repurpose large under-utilised spaces as well as transforming under-performing cinemas on a commercially sustainable basis to ensure that cinema remains at the heart of communities and to provide customers with unique and high-quality experiences.

James Morris, The Light CEO, commented:

“Huddersfield is the latest evolution of our entertainment model, which is continuing to deliver exciting results. With the backing of Risk Capital and Barclays, we now have the ability to accelerate our growth, which will help to re-purpose other spaces and cinemas across the UK, providing Landlords and developers with a unique and commercially attractive solution, protecting cinema, re-imagining spaces and delighting customers.

We are delighted to have been able to transform the House of Fraser in partnership with Kirklees Council and the Kingsgate Shopping Centre to create one of the most exciting indoor entertainment venues in the UK, and are immensely proud to be part of the regeneration of such an amazing town.”

Duncan Irvine, Relationship Director, Barclays Corporate Banking, added:

“We are pleased to have been able to support The Light with this new facility and are excited to be part of their ambitious plans for the years ahead. This lending further exemplifies Barclays’ ongoing commitment to help clients to invest for their future and support economic prosperity across the UK.”

The Light is a diverse business offering high-quality cinema, a wide range of over 20 leisure activities and extensive expertise in food and drink, all supported by proprietary technology designed to improve the customer experience and reduce the carbon footprint through automated power, lighting and air conditioning systems. The combination ensures that they offer commercially sustainable solutions to re-purposing of spaces, whether existing retail and hospitality or helping to right-size existing cinemas to ensure their long-term survival. Their in-house design team ensure the venue is adapted to suit the specific location, and their creativity and attention to detail help to bring high-quality, unique, exciting transformations for consumers. In addition, their focus on operational efficiency, space utilisation and in-house development ensures that The Light always offers the best possible value for money.

The cinema includes a wide array of seating from wingback armchairs, electric recliners, to loungers and sofa seats, all at great prices, with introductory adult tickets starting at only £5.00. Audiences can enjoy the latest blockbusters, curated film seasons and live event cinema in style, with opening titles including major blockbusters such as “Thunderbolts*,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Jurassic World: Rebirth” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”

About The Light
Since being founded in 2007, The Light has opened 14 venues across the UK, including Addlestone, Banbury, Bolton, Bradford, Cambridge, Huddersfield, New Brighton, Redhill, Sheffield, Sittingbourne, Stockport, Thetford, Walsall and Wisbech, with several other exciting developments in the pipeline. The Light brings a unique entertainment offering suitable for anyone at any age, including an unrivalled cinema experience, attentive service, quality food and drink and unique entertainment spaces, such as ten-pin bowling, interactive darts and more, chosen and created to serve the desires of the local communities in which they operate. The team at The Light is passionate, innovative and always focused on ensuring everyone has a great time.

The Light was featured in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100 businesses in 2019.