The Deaf Institute and Gorilla have both been saved from closure by new buyer

Both venues announced they were closing last week


Both The Deaf Institute and Gorilla have been saved after they announced last week that they would be closing for good.

Tokyo Industries, which owns clubs and bars including The Factory, South and Impossible has already agreed to purchase both venues and says they’ll remain ‘at the forefront of the live music and club scene’.

Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester said to The Manchester Tab: “The news that the Deaf Institute and Gorilla have been saved from closure is great, not just for Manchester but for the UK live music sector as a whole.

“Grassroots venues like these are vital to the industry and we need them if we want the UK to continue to play its part in the global music scene.”

Staff will keep their jobs as part of the terms agreed between the company and the venues’ current owners Mission Mars.

In a joint statement, they said the venues will operate ‘in much the same way as they have done in the past’.

Aaron Mellor, the founder of Tokyo Industries, said to Manchester Evening News: “These are extremely difficult times for all grassroots music venues around the UK.

“It’s vital venues like Gorilla and The Deaf Institute are kept alive, the cultural fabric of our city centres depends on venues like these.”

The deal was struck over the weekend and the legal process is ‘well underway’, they said. Staff are said to be ‘upbeat and excited’ by the news.

Roy Ellis, CEO of Mission Mars, said: “It’s really great news for our teams and the music loving people of Manchester that both venues have found such a perfect new home.

“The bad news announcement last week regarding the closure plans galvanised an unprecedented level of interest from passionate operators from across the region and even beyond.

“I’m extremely grateful that we’ve been able to find a new and appropriate new home for these amazing venues and people.”

Sacha Lord also said: “We are lucky in Greater Manchester that our Mayor, Andy Burnham, has such an interest in our music and culture. We were both gutted about the news of closure last week, so this is fantastic for the owners, staff, community and region as a whole.

“I look forward to seeing both venues reopen once restrictions are lifted, and I’m sure they will return bigger and better than ever.”