Star City sold in £85m deal

Birmingham's Star City leisure complex has been sold for £85.5 million to an international property group - which today promised to maintain the family focus of the centre.

Former owners X-Leisure, the UK's largest entertainment and leisure landowner, have sold the site near to Spaghetti Junction to REIT Asset Management.

REIT owns £3.35 billion-worth of property worldwide. Kevin McGrath, a partner at REIT, said today his company was delighted to have secured Star City.

He said: "We are planning to enlarge and improve, developing Star City further as a family entertainment complex."

The million leisure complex was originally built by Oldbury development tycoons Don and Roy Richardson in association with Wolverhampton-based Tarmac, and opened in 2000.

It covers 390,000 sq ft and boasts the 30-screen Vue multiplex cinema and one of Europe's biggest casinos, run by Stanley Leisure, which opened in 2003 creating 200 jobs.

It also has a 24-lane bowling alley, a mini snow slope and climbing wall, and attracts around four million visitors a year.

In addition to a string of family restaurants, it has added a five-a-side complex - on the roof of one of the buildings - and is currently hosting an appearance by the Chinese State Circus.

By Simon Penfold