Mike Ross, managing director of pan-European exhibition circuit Ster Century Europe, has exited the company. He is replaced by Selwyn Grimsley, previously European operations director.

Both Ross and Grimsley are founding directors of Ster Century, which now operates 190 screens across the UK, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Ross, whose departure coincides with the finalisation of an $80m refinancing package - effectively removing the circuit from the auction block - said that his departure was amicable. "I've been looking at a number of options in the industry," Ross told Screendaily.

One possibility, said Ross, is setting up a chain of art-house mulitplexes, concentrating on high-end English- and foreign-language product: "I really do believe that there's a market for art-house multiplexes in the UK, with six, eight or 10 screens in a multiplex environment with coffee and cake rather than popcorn and Coke."

Ster opened its first cinema in Dublin in 1999, and has just opened its 16th multiplex in Edinburgh, which next week holds a charity gala screening of Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone.