MINISTRY OF SOUND owner JAMES PALUMBO is in discussions to license his brand to the LUMINAR chain of nightclubs – the brand who own the HIPPODROME on LEICESTER SQUARE.
According to reports in today’s (January 8) Guardian newspaper, the licensing would take the shape “of an alliance rather than a takeover”, and would combine the “operational skills of Luminar with the powerful Ministry Of Sound brand”.
If the deal comes to fruition, NMEDANCE.COM understands that the Ministry Of Sound would be in a position to brand over 50 bars and clubs in cities around the world that currently run under Lorimar’s ‘Chicago Rock’ brand.
In other Ministry news, it seems that Palumbo’s joint bid for the Millennium Dome with the outgoing Dome director P.Y. Geribeou has finally stalled. “He and PY have put in a bid,” confirmed a Ministry spokesperson. “It started before the NYE gig was confirmed, but it’s our understanding that (rival bidders) Legacy have won the bid.”
When questioned as to how, exactly, the Ministry Of Sound would have contributed to the Dome had the bid been successful, the spokesperson explained that “Ministry Of Sound would have contributed towards the music policy.”