Inside Westgate Shopping Center, Oxford — image credit: Westgate Shopping Center
England’s Oxford may be the next UK city to get an Apple Store, with local reports saying the company is looking to take over a prime shopping center spot.
Following the news that Apple is relocating its Apple Trafford Center to larger premises in the same Manchester mall, a new rumor says the company is looking at opening its first store in Oxford. If true, the store would be located in the city’s Westgate Shopping Center, while at present the nearest Apple Store is 25 miles away.
According to local newspaper The Oxford Clarion, Apple is said to be considering a prominent spot in the center. The unit has been empty since May 2024 when it was vacated by clothing company Superdry.
Before Superdry began closing stores as part of a major restructuring plan, it occupied 5,000 square feet at the mall.
The Superdry site has been the subject of a bid for planning permission that has now been approved by Oxford City Council. There is no mention of Apple in the extensive documentation, although much of what is publicly available has been redacted.
However, the original application for permission to alter the ex-Superdry shopfront, filed on December 20, 2024, does describe what the unnamed client requires.
“The proposals are to accommodate occupation of the unit by a new flagship store for an operator which has a strong brand image and requires changes to the design and appearance to reflect their brand,” it says “The changes sought include narrowing the existing opening through extending the stonework in place of the infill panelling and mirror glazing.”
“However, the stonework will be replaced across the shopfront as a whole to avoid any risk of a poor match between the existing and additional infill,” it continues.
The rest of the description appears to match Apple’s regular plan of preserving but augmenting original architecture, as it has done with the UK’s Apple Brompton Road in London.
