Wesley Owen

What Happened to Wesley Owen? (updated 23/08/2010)

Wesley Owen Books & MusicIn 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 now owns the Wesley Owen brand:

Bath
Birmingham		 Bristol
Bromley		 Coleraine
Derby		 Glasgow
York

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:

The remaining branches did not find immediate buyers and ceased trading during January/February 2010. Most, however — listed below — have been 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, have opened since. Most (if not all) are operating under temporary leases as they seek more prominent premises more suited to fulfilling Living Oasis’ vision of providing “a Christian presence on our High Streets”.

Reports Elsewhere

Living Oasis

As reported in an interview with Ray George in Christian Marketplace, March 2010, the following shops have now been taken on by Living Oasis:

Aberdeen
Bedford
Belfast
Cheltenham
Chester
Croydon (not yet opened)
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

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…

12 Responses to “Wesley Owen”

  8. On lately. « surrounded by clouds Says:

    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 [...]

    Reply
  9. Eric S Says:

    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.

    Reply
    1. Phil Groom Says:

      June 8, 2010 at 12:00 am

      Thanks Eric: good news! Updated above.

      Reply
  10. Housekeeping: Page Rearrangements; and Why Subscribe? « The Christian Bookshops Blog Says:

    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 [...]

    Reply
  11. Loose Ends and Updates « The Christian Bookshops Blog Says:

    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 [...]

    Reply

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