Wed 20th Jan 2016 - G1 Group appoints new cinema operations director to develop division G1 Group appoints new cinema operations director to develop division: Scotland’s biggest independent managed operator G1 Group has appointed a new cinema operations director to develop its cinema division. Rob Arthur, a former managing director of Apollo Cinemas, has been appointed to the role. He has a dynamic scope of industry experience, having worked for companies such as Warner Bros Cinemas and SBC International Cinemas. Arthur has also provided consultancy services to cinema and leisure project groups and developed digital cinema combined with a bar and Kitchen concept in northern Scotland. G1 Group currently owns and operates the Grosvenor Cinema in Glasgow’s West End and the seven-screen IMAX Playhouse Cinema in Perth. The recent acquisition of the A listed art deco Odeon building in Clerk Street, Edinburgh, was finalised towards the end of 2015 and a sympathetic and exciting concept will bring the space fully to life, creating jobs and regeneration in the area, creating a real “destination”. Arthur said: “It’s an exciting time to join the G1 Group. As well as two successful cinemas, we are set to add another ‘cultural hub’ with our Edinburgh development. The cinema division will form a key part of the G1 portfolio and its vision for further growth within this sector. The customer experience is at the heart of what we do and I’m looking forward to working with our teams to ensure all three of our offerings become destinations, pushing the boundaries within this market, offering so much more than just cinema, they will become a cultural hub.” The Grosvenor Cinema was voted third best independent cinema in the UK by Saga Magazine in October 2015 while box office takings grew by 150% in December at the IMAX Playhouse. The cinema is the most northerly located IMAX in the UK and one of only four in Scotland. It is also the only independently owned and operated IMAX in the UK. G1 Group has a collection of over 50 venues, including restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, cinemas and a casino.