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Posh popcorn at premium prices might not be for everyone, but that doesn't bother Andrew Myers, chief executive of the Everyman cinema group. It's all about selective expansion and next on the list is Chelsea. By Emily Wright. Portraits by Alex Griffiths
Obviously we want people to love the fi I m "says Andrew Myers through a mouthful of hotdog, "but our philosophy is that if they hate the film and they still have a great night then we are doing OK."
The ehief executive of premium cinema group Everyman is in an enviable ~ Ic heads a company mg and boutique enough to have plenty of room to grow but that, among those in the know, is already renowned for offering one of the most stylish movie-going experiences in the UK.
Looking around the Maida Vafe branch - the most recent addition to the group, which opened last year - it is clear to see vvhy. Ulis unremarkable box of a building opposite a petrol station on a main road in north London opens up into a film-lovers' paradise. The stairs up to the screens are plastered with old movie posters from Pulp Fiction to BriefEncou /iter, Dr No to Fight Club, the bar is a mix of chrome and distressed w < and the surprisingly pleas aroma of popcorn mixed wasabi peas and red w iiu hangs in the air.
And this is the norm. All of the sites are unusual, the interiors modish and the prices premium. So far, it is a premium punters seem happy to pay - the J?7-2m Everyman Group has been the fastest growing cinema chain in the country for the past two years running and now has 0.6% market share compared with just 0.4% in 2010.
The time for expansion is ripe. The cinema sector increased by 3% last year despite the economic climate and rising problem with illegal downloads, and 40-year-old Myers says doubling the number of Even-man sites across the UKin the next live years is a "conservative" projection. But he will remain "îlessly selective when it mesto location. Following news last...