City centre bookstore leaving historic building
The bookshop chain has been based at Grade II-listed William Baker House since 1998.
It’s the end of an era for bookselling at the five-storey building as Dillon’s ran a bookshop from 1987 until Waterstones took over.
READ MORE: Scaffolding for repairs at store
Scaffolding went up around the building on corner of Broad Street and Cornmarket last month and its staff said repairs were being made to fix the roof.
Now it appears that scaffolding may be in place to prepare for a new retailer as Waterstones has confirmed it is to leave the building next to The Store hotel.
(Image: Andy Ffrench) The Store opened in May last year, following the closure of department store Boswells in 2020.
Waterstones today confirmed the chain, which has more than 300 bookstores, would be leaving William Baker House later this year, and moving to new retail premises in Queen Street.
It is not yet known which retailer will take its place.
A Waterstones spokeswoman said: “We are delighted to announce the upcoming opening of an exciting and large new Waterstones shop in the heart of the city on Oxford’s Queen Street, the biggest new Waterstones shop to open for some years.
“The generous, bright and easy to navigate space will allow for increased space and a larger range of books and gifts for customers to browse.
“The shop will also have a café, perfect for a break whilst choosing the next perfect read.”
The spokesperson said Waterstones is planning the move this summer.
Topshop and Topman closed in Queen Street in 2021 and have not been occupied since.
READ MORE: Plans for Topshop and Topman stores
In 2022, Waterstones bought Oxford bookshop chain Blackwell’s, including its historic original flagship store in Broad Street.
Blackwell’s was allowed to keep its name.
At the time, Blackwell’s president Toby Blackwell said Waterstones, which also bought family-owned Foyles in 2018, had shown since that it “understands the advantages and benefits of holding diverse iconic bookselling brands”.
Staff at Waterstones in Oxford, and staff at Blackwell’s, have been informed that Waterstones is to leave William Baker House.
He added: “We have lost Boswells and Debenhams and the former NatWest bank on the corner of Cornmarket and George Street has been empty for years.
“Waterstones must have looked at the footfall for Blackwell’s and the store at William Baker House and arrived at a decision that made financial sense.
“William Baker House is a big space and we need another retailer to fill it.
“It’s a long way for some shoppers to go from this part of the city centre to the Westgate and we don’t want Cornmarket to look increasingly bleak.”
