THE LAST BUT ONE BRANCH of the once more than forty-strong Wesley Owen chain of Christian bookshops is slated for closure in the New Year, according to a report in the York Press issued today, 25/10/2013, York bookshop to close after 53 years. This leaves the company, now owned by Koorong, Australia, with a single branch … Continue reading
SOMETIMES, IN RUNNING UKCBD/THIS BLOG, I want to make like Elijah: to simply run away, hide in a cave and wait for the inevitable. Unlike Elijah, however, I’m not being pursued by an angry Queen who wants to chop me into pieces: on the whole the Christian book/retail trade remains a very positive area to … Continue reading
Update, 13/3/2012 Wesley Owen Bromley ceased trading on Sat 10/3/2012; official announcement here: wesleyowen.com/info/pdfs/bromley.pdf Update, 7/3/2012 Wesley Owen Derby ceased trading on Sat 3/3/2012; official announcement here: wesleyowen.com/info/pdfs/derby.pdf ACCORDING TO A BOOKSELLER REPORT published this morning, all but one of the Wesley Owen bookshops now look set to close as the company focuses on its online … Continue reading
Recently a friend on facebook asked if I knew what was going on with Authentic Media since the collapse of the old STL: had they survived? The answer, I’m pleased to say, is a resounding yes. I invited them to bring us up to date: Following the news of IBS-STL UK going into administration at … Continue reading
If you’re anything like me, you’ve no doubt been wondering how things are going for Wesley Owen’s survivors under their new Aussie owners, Koorong. So I put on my Aussie hat (made from genuine ’roo hide) to give myself an authentic Oz presence and invited the inimitable David Chant from Wesley Owen Birmingham to tell … Continue reading
My thanks to Dave Walker for permission to cross-post the following from the Church Times Blog, a superb summary of reportage in this month’s Christian Marketplace. Scroll to the end for my own comments and concluding reflections. Clem Jackson from Christian Marketplace magazine has been busy talking to everyone involved in the events following the demise … Continue reading
Now you see them, now you don’t: Christmas is over and 27 Christian bookshops have been unceremoniously wiped off the map. Officially only 26 shops have vanished: Biblica/IBS-STL UK operated 40 branches of Wesley Owen, of which 14 have been saved by Koorong and CLC. The figure of 27 derives from the 41 branches previously … Continue reading
Details of the new ownership of IBS-STL UK’s three trading divisions have now been confirmed in an official press release issued today (full text below | pdf, 102kb) as follows: Authentic Music has been bought by Kingsway Communications. Authentic Book Publishing and 8 Wesley Owen Stores (Bath Birmingham, Bristol, Bromley, Coleraine, Derby, Glasgow and York … Continue reading
Robin Parry has posted the following excerpt from a press release issued on Friday 18/12/2009: Authentic Book Publishing (including Paternoster)and 8 Wesley Owen Stores (Bath Birmingham, Bristol, Bromley, Coleraine, Derby, Glasgow and York) have been sold to Koorong, which is owned by the Bootes family. Based in Sydney, Koorong has 18 stores operating successfully throughout … Continue reading
21/12/2009: The official press release is now out and no further updates to this page will be posted. Comments remain open. From Wesley Owen Edinburgh’s facebook page, posted on Friday 18/12/2009 at 21.14: We are now in administration and will be closing shortly. As will almost all of the Wesley Owen shops. I thank you … Continue reading
The Christian Bookshops Blog 