A few weeks ago, I found out that Bella Italia was closing its Uxbridge restaurant. That news came hot on the heels of Pizza Hut shutting its doors too — leaving some locals wondering if we were witnessing the end of the pizza era in Uxbridge.

But fear not, pizza lovers! Just as we thought our doughy days were over, a familiar favourite is making a comeback. Pizza Express is officially returning to Uxbridge after a few years away — a true phoenix rising from the culinary ashes (much like the triumphant return of Waterstones, which I wrote about not too long ago).

This time around, Pizza Express won’t be reopening in its old spot. Instead, it’s moving into the former Bella Italia location, right next to Wagamama and just down from Nando’s. That little stretch of the high street is fast becoming Uxbridge’s unofficial restaurant row — the perfect place for a pre-cinema meal, a weekend lunch, or an impromptu dinner out.

It’s always great to see new life come to the town centre, especially when it’s a familiar name we’ve missed. I, for one, look forward to welcoming Pizza Express back soon — and yes, I’ll definitely be celebrating with a tasty trip (and probably a Padana pizza or two).

The post Bella Italia Closes, Pizza Express Returns to Uxbridge appeared first on My Uxbridge.

like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Waterstones has returned to Uxbridge

At the time, I remember thinking: how can a refurbishment take that long? With new buildings springing up in a few short months, it seemed an eternity to wait for a bookshop to reopen. I wondered whether Intu (as it was then called) might follow its Debenhams downsizing strategy — cutting the standard for the restaurant, or perhaps yet another in-store Costa. Some feared that Uxbridge would lose its last major bookshop.

During those months of closure, the independent Barnard’s Bookshop in Windsor Street quietly carried the torch for local readers. Many residents, unaware of its presence, rediscovered the charm of an independent bookseller while Waterstones’ future hung in the balance.

Then the pandemic struck, and any hopes for a swift reopening faded. For years, the site remained empty — a sad reminder of the changing face of the high street.

But now, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Waterstones has returned to Uxbridge. After more than five years, the doors have finally reopened. The new store occupies a single, spacious floor, filled once again with the shelves of beautiful books that readers have missed.

For long-time customers and book lovers in Uxbridge, this reopening marks more than just the return of a retailer — it’s the revival of a cultural cornerstone. If you’ve been lamenting the loss of Waterstones, now is the perfect time to show your support, explore the new layout, and celebrate the welcome return of books to the heart of Uxbridge.

Waterstones Uxbridge

The post Waterstones Returns to Uxbridge After Five-Year Hiatus appeared first on My Uxbridge.

In the last few months, we have seen HMV go into administration, before being sold to new owners.

The collapse of BHS in 2016 resulted in 160+ stores closing, while House of Fraser has been shutting stores after being bought out of administration last year.

Marks and Spencer is also in the process of closing 100 stores by 2020.

While the number of UK retailers issuing profit warnings reached a ten year high last year.

Data also showed that 38% of FTSE general retails issued profit warnings during 2018, which is a 50% increase over the previous year.

All in all, it is safe to say that the UK retail market is struggling, and there is no real sign of that changing anytime soon.

Consumers continue to put their hard earned money into online businesses, with Amazon becoming the behemoth it is today.

But is Uxbridge Debenhams safe?

Well… for now, it appears so. The first list of Debenhams closures has been published, and the 22 stores that will be closing in the first phase of closures are:

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean Debenhams Uxbridge is safe in the long term, in fact, there are no guarantees that Debenhams will be able to weather the storm.

But they do have the right backers, in the shape of Barclays and Bank of England as well as US investment firms

The new owners have stated they are trying to put the department store chain on ‘a stable financial footing and ensure the future of the company’.

Sources:

metro.co.uk

The post Debenhams to close stores with loss of 1,200 jobs. Is Uxbridge safe? appeared first on My Uxbridge.

Some good news this morning – our @hmvUxbridge store is now back open! https://t.co/JrCqx1WHYv pic.twitter.com/vAuKOOWyo7

— hmv (@hmvtweets) March 8, 2019

It is unclear if any of the other stores might be re-opened, or why they were closed in the first place. Perhaps, new contracts were signed with landlords in an effort to get better deals? Whatever the reason, it’s great to see HMV return to Uxbridge, as we are severely lacking in entertainment. I still miss Disney store though 🙁

We wish HMV and all their staff the best of luck 🙂

You can read the original HMV closure article here

The post HMV Uxbridge RE-OPENS! appeared first on My Uxbridge.

The bestselling author of the Thirteen Treasures series, Michelle Harrison, will be talking about her wonderful new novel, A Pinch of Magic at Waterstones in Uxbridge on Saturday 23rd February at 2 pm.

So if you enjoyed the Thirteen Treasures series, or are you interested in Michelle’s latest novel, then why not pop down?

Book Blurb

Three sisters trapped by an ancient curse.

Three magical objects with the power to change their fate.

Will they be enough to break the curse?

Or will they lead the sisters even deeper into danger? …

‘A SPELLBINDING STORY, STEEPED IN MAGIC. I ADORED IT’ – Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song 

Praise for A PINCH OF MAGIC:

‘BRILLIANT’ Emma Carroll, author of Letters From The Lighthouse

‘This delightful tale fizzes with magic and races along at a fantastic pace. This book completely charmed my socks off!’ Alex Bell, author of The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club

‘Simply phenomenal! A breathtaking quest for survival and freedom, bursting with brave heroines, enchanted objects and deadly dangers. And at its heart is a powerful and beautiful message of sisterly love and loyalty overcoming jealousy and betrayal’ Sophie Anderson, author of The House With Chicken Legs

‘What a glorious book this is! I was utterly captivated by the Widdershins sisters’ Lisa Thompson, author of The Goldfish Boy

‘Take three sisters, add the cruelest of curses and a pinch of magic, and you’ll have a tantalising tale you cannot put down’ Tamsyn Murray, author of Completely Cassidy

Praise for Michelle Harrison’s THIRTEEN series:

‘A charming and inventive tale’ The Times
‘You are in for an adventure’ Sunday Express

The post Michelle Harrison @ Waterstones Uxbridge appeared first on My Uxbridge.

This is hot on the heels of Disney store closing, and another victim of this ‘non-recession’.

A Brief History of HMV

HMV started in 1921, and the HMV name was also used for television and radio sets manufactured from the 1930s onwards.

The retail side of the business began to expand in the 1960s, and in 1998 was divested from EMI, the successor to the Gramophone Company, to form what would become HMV Group.

HMV stands for His Master’s Voice, the title of a painting by Francis Barraud of the dog Nipper listening to a cylinder phonograph, which was bought by the Gramophone Company in 1899. For advertising purposes, this was changed to a wind-up gramophone and eventually used simply as a silhouette.

HMV owned the Waterstone’s bookshop chain from 1998 until 2011 and has owned the music retailer Fopp since August 2007. It purchased a number of former Zavvi stores in February 2009, and also branched into live music venue management that year by purchasing MAMA Group. It sold the group in December 2012.

On 5 February 2019, it was confirmed that Canadian retailer Sunrise Records had purchased HMV from administration, as a result of the purchase 27 stores will close resulting in 450 job losses, these will close immediately following the purchase.

The full List of HMV Stores that will be Closing

The administrators of HMV, KPMG, has released its list of HMV stores planned for closure.

They include the flagship branch in Oxford Street, the location of its first store.

The alphabetical list follows:

Ayr

Bath

Bluewater

Bristol, Cribbs

Chichester

Exeter, Princesshay

Fopp, Bristol

Fopp, Glasgow Byres

Fopp, Manchester

Fopp, Oxford

Glasgow, Braehead

Guernsey

Hereford

Manchester, Trafford

Merry Hill

Oxford Street

Peterborough, Queensgate

Plymouth, Drake Circus

Reading

Sheffield, Meadowhall

Southport

Thurrock

Tunbridge

Uxbridge

Watford

Westfield

Wimbledon

BBC reported:

Canadian firm Sunrise Records has emerged as the buyer of collapsed music chain HMV, beating competition including Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley.

The firm will buy 100 stores out of administration, securing 1,487 jobs.

But 27 stores will close, resulting in 455 redundancies.

Sunrise Records chief executive Doug Putman said he was “delighted to acquire the most iconic music and entertainment business in the UK.”

No price was given.

The administrators KPMG announced that the company’s flagship Oxford Street store in London, its first shop when it opened in 1921, is among the 27 outlets set to close.

The HMV stores in Manchester (Trafford Centre), Sheffield (Meadowhall) and Glasgow (Braehead) are also set to shut.

Canadian entrepreneur Mr Putman, 34, bought the retail chain Sunrise Records in 2014.

He previously bought HMV’s Canadian business in 2017, expanding his small chain into a national operation with 80 outlets.

Sources:

The post HMV Uxbridge to Close – Full List of Closures appeared first on My Uxbridge.

But with the closure of Slug and Lettuce, comes a new and untested brand called Millers Tap. Are you excited for the change? or disappointed that Slug and Lettuce Uxbridge has closed?

Millers Tap Opens 17th November 2018

Who is Millers Tap?

That’s a good question, and apparently, it is a new brand, as a search for answers has come up relatively empty.

What we do know is that Millers Tap is a brand name of the Stonegate Pub Company, which also own the Slug & Lettuce brand.

So rather than Slug & Lettuce going out of business, or deciding they no longer want the location, the location is still being run by the same company, so it is little more than a strategic name change.

Slug & Lettuce is usually full and quite popular, especially weekend evenings, so it is not clear why the parent company has decided to change the location to a Millers Tap branded pub, rather than keeping Slug & Lettuce branding.

It is strange that they are replacing the well-established brand with a completely new brand – there are currently no other Millers Taps – but we will soon find out what Millers Tap has to Offer.

You can see their latest update below:

View this post on Instagram

New name, who dis?! @millerstapuxbridge #uxbridge #intuuxbridge #goodtimes #bruneluniversity #greaterlondon #sports #cocktails #craftbeer

A post shared by Millers Tap (@millerstapuxbridge) on Nov 13, 2018 at 3:55am PST

We will reach out for any insights the company may have for us, but until then, we will give you a brief overview of Millers Tap and the Stonegate Pub Company below.

More on Slug and Lettuce

Slug and Lettuce is a chain of bars that operate in the United Kingdom, with a large number located in London and South East England. As of 2017, there are a total of 70 outlets. Hugh Corbett opened the first Slug and Lettuce in Islington in 1984. He attempted to enhance the public-house environment, at a time when standards were often low.

The bars are designed for a youthful clientele and aim to attract an equal number of men and women with “female-friendly” designs. The chain has remained relevant by continually re-inventing itself for the contemporary marketplace. The chain has gone through a number of owners throughout its history and is currently owned by the Stonegate Pub Company, based in Luton, Bedfordshire.

• Wikipedia

Who are the Stonegate Pub Company?

Stonegate is the name behind many of your favourite pubs, including:

Scream
Slug and Lettuce
Tattershall Castle
Henry’s Café Bar
Yates’s
Missoula
Social Squirrel
Flares
Popworld
The Living Room
Retro
Sports Bar & Grill
Walkabout
Be at one

And now Millers Tap joins that list.

Stonegate Info

The Stonegate Pub Company was formed in 2010 by private equity firm TDR Capital, after it purchased 333 pubs from Mitchells & Butlers. Originally trading from rented offices near Birmingham airport it then moved its operations office to Capability Green in Luton in June 2011 when Stonegate bought the Town & City Pub Company who were in receivership, creating the largest privately held managed pub operator in the UK and acquiring the Yates’s and Slug and Lettuce brands in the process.

In April 2013, the company announced a debt issuance via Morgan Stanley, allowing the equity investors to refinance existing debt and release cash from the company for their own purposes.

In November 2015, Stonegate acquired 53 pubs from Tattershall Castle Group (TCG) including the Henry’s Café Bar and Tattershall Castle brands. In January 2016 the company began a programme to update the former TCG estate pubs and re-brand many of the venues to Slug and Lettuce to further develop the brand. In June 2015 it was reported that Stonegate Pub Company had bought 15 pubs owned by MacLay Inns (A former brewing company based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland) from administration.

The Stonegate Pub Company is registered in the Cayman Islands, a well-known location for tax avoidance purposes.

– Wikipedia

stonegatepubs.com

The post Slug & Lettuce Closes. Replaced By Millers Tap appeared first on My Uxbridge.

Lidl Coming to Intu Uxbridge! Yes, Lidl is moving into the Disney Store location and taking the adjacent location that used to be the upper level of BHS (the lower level has been Decathlon for about a year now).

Lidl has had a successful few years, gradually going from strength to strength. With the economic landscape as it is, with the likes of Debenhams and John Lewis struggling, businesses target the budget markets that are doing the best.

I wonder, though, how long before they are seen as the new Starbucks or Costa with the ‘one popping up on every corner’ philosophy. There is already one just outside Uxbridge, in Cowley, but perhaps that is too far away from Uxbridge town centre. It seems odd to me to have a supermarket-like shop within a shopping centre, but it is not unheard of.

With the gradual decline of consumer interest in high-end and department stores that are too slow at shifting their focus to the online world, maybe Lidl and the like are the future of the high street and shopping centres in general. You know, besides the Costas and hairdressers.

Still, I miss the Disney Store 🙁

From Wikipedia:

Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG formerly Schwarz Unternehmenstreuhand KG, is a German global discount supermarket chain, based in Neckarsulm, Germany, that operates over 10,000 stores across Europe and the United States. It belongs to Dieter Schwarz, who also owns the store chains Handelshof and hypermarket Kaufland.

Lidl is the chief competitor of the similar German discount chain Aldi in several markets, including the United States. There are Lidl stores in every member state of the European Union, except Latvia and Estonia. Lidl stores are also present in Switzerland, Serbia and the USA.

The post Lidl Coming to Intu Uxbridge appeared first on My Uxbridge.

During the pandemic, Disney quietly closed most of the Disney Store Locations in the UK. The nearest to Uxbridge was once Westfield but that, too, is now closed. The only store in the UK is now the London flagship store on Oxford Street.

Original Post:

It is true another of the Intu Uxbridge tent-poles is going, and what will replace it?

You may not frequent the Disney store, but it is a draw for many. Disney stores are not as prevalent as other stores in Uxbridge, all of which can be easily replaced by another local store. But Disney stores are far fewer in their numbers. The sign of the outside is redirecting us to Westfield, not that it is particularly close. Whereas if you closed down Argos, there are a few within a 5-minute drive.

(A member of staff reminded me that there is a Disney store in Watford, so It may be telling that they don’t redirect you there. perhaps more closures are looming?)

Dropping Like Flys

That is why it is a shame that we are losing what should be considered a tent pole for Intu Uxbridge. Similar to the likes of Debenhams and a few others (though gradually dwindling).

Next to the soon-to-be-closed Disney store is the empty shop that once housed the upstairs of BHS. Now empty, it acts as a pop-up shop, currently, a children’s play area.

There is a small sign that says it too is going to close, so perhaps a company has shown interest in both units. If a company has shown interest in the location, and Intu was hoping to oust Disney, it could imply a reasonably big store (one that needs all of BHS’s old first floor, and all of Disney’s floor space). But it could just be that with the end of the summer holidays, they have decided the kid’s play area is less critical.

Disney Store Closures – a Continuing Trend

There are still other empty shops, and the American candy shop has the look and feel of a pop-up shop, similar to the shops that preceded it in that location.

Toys R Us is still empty, and the sign hangs sadly above the shuttered doorways.

Why would they do this? Disney themselves aren’t struggling, perhaps the stores aren’t as profitable as they once were, but this one is.

The store is on target and exceeding it, and in fact, doing better than others in the area. So, why then, are they closing it?

As is usually the case, it seems to be about money, in particular rent.

Whether Intu wants to charge more or Disney is trying to haggle them down with all the empty units, neither one will readily budge. The outcome? A few more jobs lost, and Uxbridge losses another draw.

There are no real winners here.

So When is the Last Day of Trading?

Saturday 22nd September is Disney Store Uxbridge’s last day.

So, on a more positive note, who do you think will be going in there? If anyone does at all.

Maybe a sixth Costa, now that coco-cola has bought them?

The post Disney Store Uxbridge Closing appeared first on My Uxbridge.

Well, lucky for you, Waterstones in Uxbridge have you covered for some of the time. Here we go over the schedule for the next few weeks and give you a rundown of what to expect from Waterstones Uxbridge and their list of lovely things to do this summer.

*All Events are free but must be booked in advance. Please call Waterstones Uxbridge on 01895 272 800, or just come in to store.*

• Tuesday 24th July 2.30pm-5pm Two workshops with Explore Learning

2.30pm Telling the Time (ages 5-7) & 4pm Angular Architecture (ages 7-9)

• Wednesday 25th July 11-12 noon Dr Seuss Bingo  and Storytime (ages 4 – 8)

• Thursday 26th July 11-12 noon Storytime and activity sheets (ages 3-7)

• Wednesday 1st August 11-12 & 1- 2 Creative Drawing Workshops (ages 7-12)

with fashion designer and author, Natasha Itzcovitz

• Thursday 2nd August 11-12 noon – Storytime/Crafts (ages 4-7)

Storytime and crafts with ‘What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday’.

• Friday 3rd August 11-12 noon – Holiday Book Club ‘The Storm Keepers Island’

Join us for a magical session full of fun activities and a discussion of the book itself. Perfect for ages 8 – 12 years.

• Wednesday 8th August 11-1 Where’s Wally Treasure Hunt!

No need to book, just a bit of fun searching the store for signs of Wally!

• Thursday 9th August 11-12 noon, Storytime and activity sheets (ages 3-7)

• Tuesday 14th August 2.30 – 5 pm Two Workshops with Explore Learning

2.30 pm Knights Journey-Grammar (ages 5-7)

4 pm Put a spring in your step-Comprehension (ages 7-9)

• Thursday 16th August 11-12 noon Storytime/Crafts (ages4-7)

Storytime and Crafts with the wonderful ‘Katie in London’.

•Friday 17th August 11-12 noon – Creative Writing Workshops with author Vashti Hardy (ages 7-12)

Vashti will be running a workshop called ‘Maps and Mischief’ based on her book ‘Brightstorm’

• Thursday 23rd Augst 11-12 noon – Storytime and activity sheets (ages 3-7)

•Friday 24th August 11-12 noon Holiday Book Club presents ‘Brightstorm’

Join us for a magical session full of fun activities and a discussion of the book itself. Perfect for ages 8-12 years.

•Thursday 30th August 11-12 noon – ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ Tea Party (4-7 years)

*All Events are free but must be booked in advance. Please call Waterstones Uxbridge on 01895 272 800, or just come in to store.*

The post Things to Do: Summer at Waterstones 2018 appeared first on My Uxbridge.