Wolverhampton Faces nightclub shuts as costs rise

Faces Nightclub, formerly known as Oceana, has closed with bosses saying they have been left with no alternative because of the costs of running the huge venue in Bilston Street.

Dozens of workers, including bar staff, managers, cleaners and security were told that the closure was going ahead.

The Facebook page for the venue was removed ahead of the weekend, when the doors were shut to the public.

The Bilston Street club opened as Faces in 2013 after being given a £750,000 refurbishment.

Before that, the attraction was known as Oceana, which opened in the city back in 2006. That closed back in 2012, with the loss of 75 jobs, due to owners Luminar going into with debts of £140 million.

A Wolverhampton city council spokesman said: "We are aware that Faces has closed its doors and obviously this is very sad for those staff who have lost their jobs.

"However, Wolverhampton has seen a number of new venues open recently and we're extremely optimistic about the future of the city centre millions of pounds of investment and regeneration underway and much more in the pipeline."

The owners of the venue, who didn't want to be named, said: "Our fixed costs are consistently higher than other venues in the city.

"Our fixed costs have included high business rates, tax, VAT, rent, bills, staff payment and BID contributions. It has not been a level playing field and unfortunately that has led to us having no alternative but to close our doors."

The former manager of the venue declined to comment.

The venue, which has previously held host to an array of reality TV and music stars, came under fire in the last year after a serious stabbing took place in April last year.

The victim, 22, was stabbed in the stomach at the club, which is opposite the city's main police station.

Police were called at 1.45am on Good Friday, and the victim remained in a serious but stable condition in hospital.A number of other people at the event were treated for minor injuries. The club shut early after the trouble.

Paul Atkins, who runs promotional company 'Cool It Events', who launch events at nightlife venues across the city said: "Footfall in the city even on a Friday and Saturday night is a lot worse than it has been in many years, and with Outback just opened and doing so well, something had to give.

"I do think it is a loss for the city - we need places to keep opening to keep people coming into Wolverhampton. The last thing we need is a scene of dwindling nightlife."