Yet more changes are on the way at the biggest shopping centre and leisure destination in Reading, as a major transformation of part of the centre is near completion.
The House of Fraser department store opened along with The Oracle Shopping Centre back in 1999.
Hammerson, the owning company of The Oracle, has nearly completed what it calls a ‘repositioning’ of the store space following its closure in October 2023.
The three levels have been refitted to provide space for Hollywood Bowl, which will open in July, TK Maxx, which opened in May, and Zara, which is due to relocate into the top floor early next year.
A Hammerson spokesperson said: “The significant investments we have made into The Oracle have delivered the first stage of our repositioning and have unlocked several new openings, including TK Maxx last month and Hollywood Bowl very shortly.
“This repositioning has already brought huge benefits to The Oracle, with new reasons to visit and increasing customer numbers.
“We expect to announce more soon, which will create further benefits and add to the destination in 2025 and 2026.
“As with all our destinations, we continuously evaluate further long-term investments and potential for enhancement.”
Approval for the redevelopment of the House of Fraser and former Debenhams stores was granted by Reading Borough Council in September 2023.
In other news, Cosy Club opened at the former Lakeland store in May, and a plan was submitted that could see Five Guys take over the All Bar One unit, which closed in May.
It has also been announced that rival burger chain Shake Shack will be taking over the former Thomas Cook unit, which faces onto Broad Street.
However, the centre has seen a churn of companies leave. Departures in the last two years include Nespresso, Wok to Walk, Franco Manca, The Real Greek, Yo! Sushi, TGI Fridays, Browns Brasserie and Bar, and Gordon Ramsay Street Burger.
The Oracle is due to see even more development in the future, as Hammerson has plans to add a total of 436 flats in the eastern portion of the riverside.
This project, submitted in 2023, would see the Vue cinema building replaced with 218 flats, a new cinema and restaurant space, and the former Debenhams redeveloped to create 218 flats, a leisure unit and ‘work-from-home’ style facilities.
The spokesperson said: “We are continuing to work collaboratively with the council to progress the potential for further investments, such as the Riverside public realm and the potential for new housing.”
Andy Briggs, the director of The Oracle, and Paul Kirton, the customer services manager, recently attended a meeting of the council’s Access and Disabilities Working Group.
They held a presentation on how they are improving the shopping experience for people with disabilities.
Mr Kirton said that 78 per cent of stores have at least one employee who has completed ‘Unseen Aware’ training to provide shopping assistance to those with hidden disabilities.
Meanwhile, Mr Briggs said that The Oracle website is due to be overhauled to help people navigate the site, and help direct people to the centre’s wholly funded ShopMobility scheme, which provides hireable mobility trikes, buggies and other equipment to customers.
The meeting took place on Thursday, June 26.
