Plans are being drawn up to transform a former Debenhams store into a cinema and leisure complex following the sale of a West Midlands shopping centre.
Evolve Estates has acquired the Three Spires centre in Lichfield and has signed a deal to work with the district council on new regeneration proposals for the city centre site.
The vacant unit in Bakers Lane was occupied by the famous department store chain until it closed down in May last year after the retailer fell into administration.
London-based Evolve Estates is a property investment company which specialises in regeneration through active asset management.
It said it was already working with a variety of potential cinema operators to design a boutique offer for Lichfield after securing what it claimed was its biggest retail acquisition of 2022 so far.
Director Sebastian MacDonald-Hall said: "Lichfield city centre offers an excellent opportunity for the development of a cinema facility and we are thrilled to be working with the district council team to investigate ways of making this a reality.
"We have extensive experience of both creating city centre venues that people love and attracting operators to take up space and ensuring continued success of the facilities.
"We believe the former Debenhams site offers an excellent location that will complement the city centre and we are already engaging with significant interest from both cinema and food and beverage operators.
"Lichfield is an affluent and thriving city that has good footfall from local shoppers and tourists throughout the year. Three Spires is a safe, pedestrianised centre that has a wealth of quality names already.
"We are excited by the possibilities and will be working hard to attract more brands in retail, leisure and food and beverage to the heart of Lichfield."
Lichfield District Council leader Cllr Doug Pullen added: "We are excited about the prospect of working with Evolve to further the development of a cinema in the Three Spires Shopping Centre.
"It would be fantastic to have this facility in the centre of Lichfield to further enhance our leisure and entertainment offering.
"It would undoubtedly attract more people into the city centre in the daytime, evenings and weekends which is great for the future prosperity of retail and hospitality businesses.
"We are both committed to making the cinema a reality and we want to do this quickly and expect to have the considerations completed in the next few months."
A planning application is set to be submitted for the redevelopment towards the end of this year.
Three Spires covers 70,000 sq ft and counts Sports Direct, Tesco, The Entertainer and Bonmarché among its tenants.
