Wooden boards have been placed all across the rear and front of Owens in Robertson Street.
The company which ran the venue has also gone into administration.
A Hastings Borough Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the current situation and are disappointed at the news. We are working closely with Moxie Management with the intention to bring the ground, first and second floors of the former Debenhams building back into use as soon as possible. We are on the list of creditors and have submitted a claim to the administrators.”
John Bownas, manager, Love Hastings Ltd, said: “it’s sad that what initially promised to be a great new addition to the town centre’s leisure offer failed to live up to expectations.
“My hope is that now the owners have taken back control of the building they can find someone who has the capability to take full advantage of its potential.
“High streets across the UK are changing, and it’s widely accepted that the old model of large department stores in small towns is pretty much at an end. That’s why we need people with imagination and the money to invest in turning new ideas into reality, and I would expect the owners are open to any new and realistic suggestions.”
Owens, a ‘family fun factory’, opened at the former Debenhams building in Robertson Street in October 2022.
Ahead of its opening, it was awarded £400,000 from the Towns Fund investment after being added to the Hastings Town Deal programme in summer 2022 with the aim of creating 35 new jobs.
The Towns Fund was announced by the Government in 2019 and set up to support an initial 101 places across England to develop a Town Deal proposal for regeneration. A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between the Government, the council and the Town Deal board.
However, in September last year Owens put out a statement saying the attraction was closing ‘due to unforeseen circumstances’.
And at the end of last November, Owens said the venue was expected to remain shut for ‘up to a year’.
Parent company CFEC Ltd issued a statement at the time, saying the 77,000 square foot site would undergo a ‘multi-million pound redevelopment’, which would include ‘hi-tech VR and immersive gaming, a bowling zone, improved golf facilities, a new, separate soft play arena, and a 160-seater seaview restaurant and lounge’.
CFEC Ltd also said it remained ‘committed to Hastings’.
According to Companies House, which lists company information, CFEC Ltd went into administration on August 21,2024.
Lubov Chernukhin, a former investment banker who co-financed the attraction, and has been reported in the national press as being a major donor to the Conservative party, is still listed as an active director of CFEC Ltd.
When Owens opened in October 2022, attractions included a football simulator, pool tables, duck pin bowling, circus of illusions, table tennis, pirates smuggler experience, 1066 experience and a bistro, as well as named attractions, such as Jurassica Live, Toxic Wasteland, Wonders of Wizardry, and Urban Fallout.
The new centre was opened by husband and wife Graham and Debbie Owen, the creators of Phileas Fogg's World of Adventures, which was awarded Tourist Attraction of the Year for Sussex.
Moxie took ownership of the building in January 2020, shortly before Debenhams announced plans to close its Hastings store. The store closed for the final time in May 2021.
CFEC Ltd has been approached for a comment.

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The front of OWENS boarded up in Robertson Street Photo: Staff

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The front of OWENS boarded up in Robertson Street Photo: Staff

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The front of OWENS boarded up in Robertson Street Photo: Staff

4. The Robertson Terrace entrance to OWENS is boarded up. Photo on September 25 2024.
The Robertson Terrace entrance to OWENS is boarded up. Photo on September 25 2024. Photo: staff