Stockport Plaza

What Stockport Plaza does

Stockport Plaza is a registered charity (No.1076494) operating an award-winning 1932 Art Deco Super Cinema and Variety Theatre in Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK. Founded in 1932 and still serving its community after more than 90 years, the venue functions as a multi-purpose cultural and entertainment asset anchored in a restored heritage auditorium. Its core activity is a continuous programme of cinema screenings, live theatre, tribute acts, comedy, music, dance, and drama, supported by an intimate secondary performance space called The Green Room and an on-site Art Deco Plaza Café operating Wednesday to Saturday, 11am–3pm.

The business model combines ticketed admissions (sold via the Quay Tickets online platform and on-site box office) with venue hire for weddings, conferences, and private parties, a seat sponsorship programme (£250 one-off for a minimum 5-year tenure with commemorative plaque), gift vouchers in £5/£10/£20 tiers, branded merchandise, heritage tours, and charitable donations channelled through JustGiving for the ongoing Maintenance and Restoration Appeal. Marketing relies on the company's website event listings plus Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and an email newsletter.

The Plaza is a small organisation of approximately 10 staff led by General Manager Ted Doan, operating from a single headquarters at Mersey Square, Stockport, and serving the North West England catchment. It competes on heritage architecture, community identity, and programme diversity rather than on technology or scale, with no disclosed revenue and no external investment or parent company.

Name

Stockport Plaza

Legal name

Stockport Plaza

Website

https://stockportplaza.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stockport's 1932 Art Deco Super Cinema and Variety Theatre, a registered charity running cinema screenings, live theatre, comedy, and music in a restored heritage auditorium, with venue hire, café, and heritage tours for the Greater Manchester community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Entertainment Venue

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Live entertainment venue
• Cinema screenings
• Variety theatre
• Heritage venue hire
• Arts charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockport

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Revenue from selling tickets to live shows, theatre performances, tribute acts, comedy, dance, drama, and film screenings. Tickets sold through Quay Tickets online platform and on-site box office.
2. Plaza Café: Café service open Wednesdays to Saturdays 11am to 3pm, providing Art Deco dining experience. Part of the venue's hospitality offerings.
3. Gift vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers in denominations of £5, £10, and £20 for theatre visits.
4. Seat sponsorship: One-off payment of £250 for seat sponsorship in the restored auditorium for a minimum of 5 years, with commemorative plaque.
5. Donations and fundraising: Registered charity accepting donations for maintenance and restoration appeal through JustGiving platform. Also offers merchandise for sale to support restoration.
6. Weddings and events venue hire: Venue hire for wedding celebrations, conferences, and private parties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stockport Plaza is a restored 1932 Art Deco Super Cinema and Variety Theatre that sells tickets to live theatre performances, tribute acts, comedy shows, music concerts, dance, drama, and film screenings. The venue also operates the Plaza Café for Art Deco dining, The Green Room for intimate cabaret, and offers venue hire for weddings, conferences, and private parties, alongside heritage tours, merchandise, gift vouchers, and a seat sponsorship programme.

Product overview

Stockport Plaza is an award-winning 1932 Art Deco Super Cinema and Variety Theatre offering a unified entertainment experience. The core offering consists of cinema screenings and live theatre/variety performances in the historic auditorium. Supporting services include the Plaza Café (Art Deco dining), The Green Room (cabaret shows), and venue hire for weddings and events. The venue also offers heritage tours, merchandise, gift vouchers, and a seat sponsorship programme as add-on offerings. Registered as charity No.1076494.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Plaza Café: Art Deco tea rooms serving food and beverages, open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 11:00am to 3:00pm
• The Green Room
• Weddings & Events

Products and services

• Cinema Screenings Traditional and special event film screenings held in the historic 1932 Art Deco auditorium, offered to the general public.
• Live Theatre and Variety Performances Live stage productions including tribute acts, comedies, dramas, musicals, and family entertainment held in the restored Art Deco auditorium, with tickets sold to the general public.
• Plaza Café Art Deco tea rooms offering dining experiences to visitors, friends, and business colleagues, open Wednesdays to Saturdays 11am to 3pm.
• The Green Room Cabaret and variety performances held in an intimate setting within the Plaza venue, targeted at audiences seeking smaller-scale entertainment.
• Weddings and Events Venue Hire Venue hire for wedding receptions, conferences, private parties, and corporate events, offering a distinctive Art Deco heritage setting for celebrations and gatherings.
• Heritage and Restoration Tours Behind-the-scenes tours exploring the venue's 1932 Art Deco architecture and restoration history, offered to visitors and heritage enthusiasts.
• Plaza Merchandise Branded merchandise including gifts and souvenirs supporting the Plaza's restoration appeal, sold to the general public and supporters.
• Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers available in £5, £10, and £20 denominations redeemable for theatre visits at the Plaza.
• Sponsor a Seat Seat sponsorship programme offering a one-off payment of £250 for a named seat in the restored auditorium, valid for a minimum of 5 years with a commemorative plaque, supporting the venue's restoration appeal.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Quay TicketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuay Tickets operates the Stockport Plaza Box Office service, providing online ticketing platform for all events. Their system handles ticket bookings with designated access booking line for guests with disabilities.
• JustGivingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJustGiving platform used for accepting donations to the Plaza's Maintenance and Restoration Appeal as a registered charity (No.1076494).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hyde Park Picture House (Leeds): Heritage, community-supported cinema in Leeds operating as a charitable trust with restored original features. Comparable as a North of England restored heritage cinema combining screenings, café and community programming.
• Edwardian-era Cinema Theatres (e.g., The Rex, Berkhamsted): Independently operated restored early-20th-century cinema/variety theatres in UK towns. Closely comparable as heritage cinema-and-live-event venues reliant on community programming, ticket sales, café and donations.
• Stockport Garrick Theatre: Historic amateur and professional theatre in Stockport offering drama, comedy and musical productions. Directly comparable as a local Stockport live theatre competing for the same community audience and event-goers.

Broad incumbents

• Manchester Palace Theatre: Larger Greater Manchester touring theatre presenting West End musicals, comedy and family shows. Directly comparable because it competes for the same regional audience and touring productions as Stockport Plaza, but with greater scale and a broader programme.
• The Lowry: Major Salford-based performing arts and exhibition venue hosting theatre, galleries and events. Comparable as a regional cultural venue offering live performance alongside other programming (galleries, weddings), competing for the same North West audience as Stockport Plaza.

Emerging players

• Tramway (Glasgow): Contemporary arts and performance venue in Glasgow. Comparable as a regional mixed performing arts and events venue, though stylistically different (modern vs. restored Art Deco).

Regional players

• Cluny 2 / Cluny Arts Music venue (regional independent venues): Independent music and events venues in the North of England. Comparable as North-of-England live entertainment venue with ticketed performances and ancillary food/beverage, though focused on music rather than mixed variety theatre.
• Heritage UK Art Deco Venues (e.g., Eltham Palace / English Heritage managed sites): UK heritage buildings offering tours, events and weddings. Comparable as Art Deco heritage venues monetising weddings, tours, merchandise and events, though typically larger institutional operators.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stockportplaza1
• Facebookfacebook.com/StockportPlaza
• Instagraminstagram.com/thestockportplaza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stockport-plaza

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stockport Plaza