Everyman hires ex-Cote boss Scrimgeour as CEO

(Sharecast News) - Everyman Media has appointed Alex Scrimgeour, the former boss of the Cote restaurant chain, as the boutique cinema group's next chief executive.

Scrimgeour will take over as Everyman's CEO on 18 January, replacing Crispin Lilly who announced his resignation in September. He led Cote for five years before leaving in October shortly after the chain was sold in a prepack administration.

Everyman has suffered like the rest of the cinema sector during the Covid-19 crisis, which closed theatres during the first lockdown. Cinemas have been hit by delays to big film releases and face further pressures as some film studios release movies straight to streaming.

The company said: "Alex has a detailed understanding of the importance of innovation and demonstrable ability in addressing customer needs in a modern and ever-evolving leisure market."

Scrimgeour trained as a chef before entering the casual dining sector at pizza chain Strada and then moving to Cote when it had three restaurants 12 years ago. Cote expanded to have more than 90 branches but was caught out by the saturation of the midrange market and shutdowns because of Covid-19.

Everyman, which owns the Screen on the Green in North London, has an upmarket niche in the cinema sector. It charges relatively high prices to show a mix of mainstream and arty films in theatres with large seats where viewers can drink wine while watching a movie.