Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Store in UK Permanently Closing Later This Month

Apple today announced that its Festival Place store in Basingstoke, England will be permanently closing on Saturday, November 21.

Apple Festival Place scaledApple Festival Place

Apple had already announced that the store would be closing in November, but it had not provided the public with a specific date until now.

Apple's store inside the Festival Place shopping center opened in 2011, so it had a 15-year run.

In a statement shared with The Reading Chronicle in August, Apple said all employees at the Festival Place store would have the opportunity to work at Apple The Oracle in nearby Reading, England or at other Apple Store locations in the country.

Apple also announced that it would be opening a redesigned store at The Oracle in December. The new store will feature a modern design with a more accessible Genius Bar, a dedicated Apple Pickup area for online orders, and more. Apple did not say why the Festival Place store is permanently closing, but it appears that the company is consolidating its retail presence in the area around the redesigned store at The Oracle.

Popular Stories

iPhone Duo Display Cracking

Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue

Friday October 30, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, and later obtained by MacRumors, Apple provided technicians with guidance on how to diagnose and address the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking issue. If a customer reports the issue, Apple advised technicians to inspect the iPhone Duo and repair or replace it in accordance with their standard procedures....
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Stores Reportedly Rolling Out New Anti-Theft System for iPhones

Sunday October 25, 2026 8:18 am PDT by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that Apple is facing a growing problem where some people will buy iPhones or other products and either remove accessories from the box, open up the device and remove components, and/or remove the entire device, and then attempt to return the box hoping that the employee will not notice. When a customer seeks to return an iPhone, he said that Apple's...
hero medium 2x feature1

Apple Store Pickup System for iPhone Duo Just Went Live Again in U.S. and Canada

Saturday October 24, 2026 5:12 am PDT by
The option to reserve an iPhone Duo for Apple Store pickup resumed in the U.S. and Canada between 5:10 a.m. and 5:15 a.m. Pacific Time today, but inventory is extremely limited, with most stores having no pickup slots available today. To search for iPhone Duo availability at your local Apple Stores: head to the iPhone Duo order page, select your desired color and storage and so forth,...

Top Rated Comments

6 days ago at 07:47 am
Glad to hear Apple is finally pulling out of the EU!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GroningenNL Avatar
6 days ago at 10:43 am

Glad to hear Apple is finally pulling out of the EU!
The UK isn’t a part of the EU.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6 days ago at 08:06 am

When they will open one in Poland?
Agreed... at least Apple could be guaranteed it wouldn't have issues with looters in Poland.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stuartea Avatar
6 days ago at 10:08 am

My local store ... gutted. Where else will I go when the missus is looking at shoes, handbags etc?
the lingerie department?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
6 days ago at 09:29 am
My local store ... gutted. Where else will I go when the missus is looking at shoes, handbags etc?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stuartea Avatar
6 days ago at 01:22 pm

Looking at the map ('https://maps.apple/p/6JQ0MUxK-b2YR6') of this "mall" in Maps show just how crazy mad (UK parlance?) this location is! This complex looks like a fortress of retail and even some housing? Maybe it's just my American eyes marveling at all the lovely colored "roof parking" (in US we simply convert farmland to parking! 🥲 space is more of a premium in UK?) or the non-orthogonal/organic architectural melange this behemoth is.


Ah my old home town... Beneath all that it was once an ordinary old market town until the 60s when the centre was almost entirely rebuilt, it was properly brutalist! I think the concrete had a certain charm really, just nobody had looked after it. I remember it always smelling like a swimming pool (they built one under the concrete centre). The current (white plastic) Festival Place replaced it in 2002 and inside, you could be anywhere. They called Basingstoke the Dallas of the UK because of all the shiny buildings.

It used to all look like the “Top of the Town”, Willis Museum end. Jane Austen went to dances there, but it's more Pride and Car Parks now.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
Here's What Apple Fixed in iOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1
Here's What Apple Fixed in iOS 27.2.1 and macOS 27.2.1
31 minutes ago
Webex Gets iPhone Duo Support
Webex Gets iPhone Duo Support
1 hour ago
Meta's Muse AI Agent Comes to Apple Watch
Meta's Muse AI Agent Comes to Apple Watch
2 hours ago
Anker Launches Eufy Security Cam With Auto-Tracking Light
Anker Launches Eufy Security Cam With Auto-Tracking Light
2 hours ago
macOS 27.2.1 Fixes eMudhra Certificate Flaw in Command-Line Tools
macOS 27.2.1 Fixes eMudhra Certificate Flaw in Command-Line Tools
3 hours ago
Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2
Anthropic Launches Claude Fable 5.2 and Mythos 5.2
4 hours ago
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.2.1
Apple Releases macOS Golden Gate 27.2.1
5 hours ago
Apple Releases iOS 27.2.1 With Bug Fixes
Apple Releases iOS 27.2.1 With Bug Fixes
5 hours ago
Apple Releases watchOS 27.2.1 and visionOS 27.2.1 With Security Fixes
Apple Releases watchOS 27.2.1 and visionOS 27.2.1 With Security Fixes
6 hours ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Gets $99 Amazon Discounts, Starting at $699.99
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Gets $99 Amazon Discounts, Starting at $699.99
6 hours ago
Apple Pay Ad Features Martial Arts Convenience Store Food Fight
Apple Pay Ad Features Martial Arts Convenience Store Food Fight
6 hours ago
Apple Continues to Say Some AI Features Will Have Fees for Extra Usage
Apple Continues to Say Some AI Features Will Have Fees for Extra Usage
6 hours ago
Apple Announces TĂĽrkiye Expansion Plans as Tim Cook Visits
Apple Announces TĂĽrkiye Expansion Plans as Tim Cook Visits
7 hours ago
Singapore Saved Apple $2.7 Billion in Taxes This Year
Singapore Saved Apple $2.7 Billion in Taxes This Year
7 hours ago
Apple Music's 2026 Artist of the Year is Olivia Dean
Apple Music's 2026 Artist of the Year is Olivia Dean
8 hours ago
This Could Be Your Last Chance to Pre-Order the HomeView at a Discount
This Could Be Your Last Chance to Pre-Order the HomeView at a Discount
8 hours ago
Some HomePod Mini 2 Buyers Returning Units Over Mac Speaker Issues
Some HomePod Mini 2 Buyers Returning Units Over Mac Speaker Issues
8 hours ago
MacBook Pro With PROLED XDR Display: Details You Might Have Missed
MacBook Pro With PROLED XDR Display: Details You Might Have Missed
8 hours ago
Satechi Offers MacRumors Readers 30% Off Select Accessories in Early Black Friday Sale
Satechi Offers MacRumors Readers 30% Off Select Accessories in Early Black Friday Sale
9 hours ago
Leaker Envisions a Shorter iPhone With a New iOS Layout
Leaker Envisions a Shorter iPhone With a New iOS Layout
9 hours ago
Apple to Give You More Control Over When Your Mac Passwords Lock
Apple to Give You More Control Over When Your Mac Passwords Lock
10 hours ago
Siri Is Getting a Better Memory
Siri Is Getting a Better Memory
10 hours ago
iPhone 18e Could Feature Bigger Display and Battery
iPhone 18e Could Feature Bigger Display and Battery
11 hours ago
Apple's Siri Boss May Leave - Here's Who Could Take Over
Apple's Siri Boss May Leave - Here's Who Could Take Over
11 hours ago
Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday
Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday
11 hours ago
Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed
Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed
20 hours ago
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
Siri AI Rumored to Become 'More Like an Agent' as Early as Next Year
1 day ago
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28
1 day ago
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
2 days ago
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
'Backglow' Lets You Customize New MacBook Pro's Glowing Apple Logo
2 days ago