Q&A: What Happened to Wesley Owen? (updated 02/02/2012) | Living Oasis
In December 2009 IBS-STL UK, part of the USA based giant, Biblica, Wesley Owen’s parent company, went into administration, taking the entire STL UK edifice down with them and leaving massive debts in their wake. Several other companies stepped in from around the world to rescue as many shops as possible:
Eight branches were taken over by Koorong, which also took over the Wesley Owen brand. Of those eight, only six now remain after the sudden closures of Bath and Bristol in January 2012:
| Birmingham Bromley |
Coleraine Derby |
Glasgow York |
Sadly, at the end of January 2012 it was further announced that the status of these branches is also uncertain as the company focuses on its online operations rather than the physical stores: Bookseller Report: All but one Wesley Owen Bookshop likely to close (UKCBD News, 31/1/2012).
Six branches were taken over by CLC and are now trading under the CLC name:
| Bolton Cambridge |
Coventry Guildford |
Kingston-Upon-Thames Stockport |
Three branches — Falkirk, Walsall and Woking — are now trading independently:
- Falkirk: Now trading as Falkirk Christian Bookshop | facebook
- Walsall: Now trading as The Hub, Walsall: opened 25/02/2010: see Phatfish at the Hub: Feedback and Photos from Opening Day
- Woking: Now trading as Origin Christian Books and Media | facebook | twitter
The remaining branches did not find immediate buyers and ceased trading during January/February 2010. Most, however — listed below — were subsequently picked up in an ambitious rescue plan put forward by the Nationwide Christian Trust: Living Oasis. The first branch of Living Oasis opened in Harrogate on February 13th; another six branches opened during March and the rest, except Croydon (aborted Sept 2010), have opened since. Most (if not all) commenced operations under temporary leases as they sought more prominent premises more suited to fulfilling Living Oasis’ vision of providing “a Christian presence on our High Streets”.
Sadly, early in 2011 the Living Oasis project began to show signs of foundering, with five branches either closed or closing down during February and March. Plans to relocate and expand others, however, as part of a “Phase Two” development — Leeds and Liverpool in particular — appeared to be reaching completion but came unstuck when Nationwide Christian Trust declared insolvency in August 2011. All branches have subsequently ceased trading.
Updates will be posted here under the Living Oasis tag as and when any new information emerges: UKCBD entries for all branches are currently being updated and should therefore be regarded as provisional.
Reports Elsewhere | All Bookseller Reports tagged Living Oasis
- STL Distribution makes 30 redundant: Lisa Campbell, The Bookseller, 10/03/2011
- Five Living Oasis stores to close: Lisa Campbell, The Bookseller, 07/03/2011
- Nationwide Christian Trust puts faith in former Wesley Owen stores: Victoria Gallagher, The Bookseller, 11/08/2010
- The call goes out to keep Jesus on the High Street: Rebecca Paveley, The Times, 16/01/2010
WITH THE EXCEPTION of Weston-super-Mare and Watford (now trading independently as Life WsM and Storehouse Watford respectively), all remaining branches of Living Oasis ceased trading in August 2011 when parent company Nationwide Christian Trust entered administration: see Nationwide Christian Trust Enters Insolvency (UKCBD News, 4/8/2011) for more information.
Archived Notes
As reported in an interview with Ray George in Christian Marketplace (March 2010), the following shops were taken on by Living Oasis in 2010; those struck through either closed down or were slated for closure in early 2011.
| Aberdeen Bedford Belfast Cheltenham Chester Croydon Edinburgh Harrogate Harrow Inverness |
Leeds Liverpool Manchester Nottingham South Woodford Southampton Sutton Watford Weston-Super-Mare Worthing |
Living Oasis News & Notes (most recent first) | All posts tagged Living Oasis
- CLC v/s Living Oasis: The Mess in Inverness, 03/02/2011
- For I am ashamed of the Gospel? Concerns raised as Living Oasis declares plans to “de-Christianise” shop windows, 10/08/2010
- Living Oasis Update: Edinburgh opening imminent, Summer newsletter, Online ambitions and a DVD, 26/7/2010
- Living Oasis Croydon: Call for prayer as new lease is threatened, 3/7/2010
- Living Oasis Update: Croydon Branch Opening Soon! 29/5/2010
- Living Oasis Update: Croydon, Edinburgh, Nottingham and Worthing, 16/4/2010
- Shop Openings by the busload – and Day of Prayer gathers momentum, 05/03/2010
- Living Oasis: 20 Shops, Meetings and Openings, 02/03/2010
Ceased Trading?
The follow branches do not appear to have found new owners and in the absence of any further information are presumed ceased trading:
Useful Links…
- All posts tagged Wesley Owen
- Bookseller reports
- Facebook groups and pages
- Google: Living Oasis: News Search | Blog Search
- Google: Wesley Owen: News Search | Blog Search
- Twitter Search: Living Oasis | Wesley Owen
- UKCBD: Living Oasis: Head Office & List of Branches
- Wikio: Living Oasis News | Blogs
- Wikio: Wesley Owen News | Blogs
January 3, 2010 at 7:01 am
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
January 5, 2010 at 4:54 pm
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
January 21, 2010 at 8:32 am
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
January 29, 2010 at 4:48 pm
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
February 15, 2010 at 1:25 pm
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
February 22, 2010 at 9:42 am
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
February 25, 2010 at 7:31 am
[...] Wesley Owen [...]
May 12, 2010 at 11:32 pm
[...] a Christian bookstore, to replace the dear departed Wesley Owen Carlisle which fell victim to the tragic death of the old IBS-STL at the end of last year.) #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 [...]
June 7, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Phil
Just to let you know, some weeks after the event, that the Falkirk branch of Wesley Owen re-opened in February as Falkirk Christian Bookshop (an independent). In the same premises, being run by the manager of the former Wesley Owen with support from local Christians and churches and in the process of becoming a charitable trust. The website (in its infancy as yet) is http://www.falkirkchristianbookshop.co.uk and there is also a Facebook group up and running.
June 8, 2010 at 12:00 am
Thanks Eric: good news! Updated above.
August 12, 2010 at 7:32 am
[...] but it’s still available if anyone does want to avail themselves of it; and likewise the Wesley Owen pages, archived but still [...]
August 20, 2010 at 9:15 am
[...] a Comment My thanks and apologies to the Rev Becky Troke whose recent comment on the former Wesley Owen > Southampton page has come as a timely reminder that I’ve allowed those pages to become a [...]
September 3, 2010 at 7:32 am
[...] 19 out of 20 former branches of Wesley Owen taken on by Living Oasis now reopened: jobs saved, churches involved and communities being served. [...]
September 30, 2010 at 12:00 pm
[...] like to do, it’s what they’re good at; and given the fate of the SPCK Bookshops and the breakup of Wesley Owen, there’s no guarantee of security in being part of a chain either. Given the state of play at [...]
December 22, 2010 at 7:34 am
[...] Wesley Owen: 6,838 [...]
January 6, 2011 at 7:31 am
[...] the sad demise of the former SPCK bookshops (a story that’s far from over), the break-up of Wesley Owen following the collapse of STL UK when Biblica overreached itself (for what that cost, see Clem [...]
January 13, 2011 at 11:09 pm
What was the latest with Living Oasis stores. Did they manage to reopen all of the branches they took over?
March 21, 2011 at 4:29 am
Just popped over to this site to get an update on the Living Oasis stores. I am really sad to hear that their valiant attempts to keep Christian Bookstores on the High Street is struggling.
More fervent prayer required.
June 27, 2011 at 9:07 pm
LONG SINCE RETIRED Christian bookseller – and records – !!!
It is time Joe Saint and the Christian public STOPPED looking for up to 99%
off everything. I learned my business ethic from the Jewish community, and was taught that writer/composer/printer/studio/singer/retailer – were all fully entitled to a cut of a full retail price. or are they not?
I was only able to keep trading in Christian product because it was heavily subsidised by far more profitable sides to the business.
For goodness sake let the missionary minded bookseller eat !!
December 4, 2011 at 10:39 am
I am glad to here that the old Wesley Owen stores are still out there, even though I know a few independent retailers have closed door due to the recession
December 5, 2011 at 11:19 am
Actually Davis there are only 8 of the old Wesley Owen’s out there, all the rest either closed two years ago now or are now CLC’s, and a few indies opened up to take the place of or take over the old Wesley Owens and are still trading – praise the lord.