Apple UK is expanding one Apple Store but losing another, as Apple Festival Place closes for good in November 2026, and a nearby one expands in December.

Apple has been steadily working through a global five-year Apple Store plan that sees it opening new sites, moving existing ones or expanding others, and also closing some too. In a statement to AppleInsider, the company has now announced the expansion of Apple the Oracle in Reading, but closing Apple Festival Place in Basingstoke.

"We've loved serving the Basingstoke community for the last 15 years and look forward to welcoming customers at nearby Apple Stores," said a spokesperson, "and on Apple.com, the Apple Store app, and at Apple Authorised Resellers and Service Providers throughout South East England."

Apple Festival Place opened in August 2011 and will now close permanently in November 2026. The original Apple the Oracle first opened in the Oracle Shopping Center in June 2011, and is now to move to larger premises on the same site.

"We're excited to reopen the completely redesigned Apple The Oracle this December," said the spokesperson, "and offer customers in South East England new ways to discover, shop the latest Apple products, and get support for the devices they own."

"Apple Festival Place will remain open until November 2026," continued the statement, "after which all team members will have the opportunity to work at Apple The Oracle or other Apple Store locations."

While Apple Festival Place is to continue operating normally until November, as Apple makes this announcement, the store is closed for the day. According to its official site, it will reopen as normal on Saturday, August 15.

Apple Stores in the UK

Apple the Oracle is the closest Apple Store to the closing Apple Festival Place at 18 miles away. The next closest ones are Apple WestQuay in Southampton at around 30 miles, or Apple Bentall Center at about 35 miles.

With the closure of Apple Festival Place, there will be 38 Apple Stores in the UK. Of those, ones such as Apple Touchwood in Solihull have moved to larger premises within the same shopping mall.

Others including Apple Birmingham in a historic 147-year-old building, are getting a series of unspecified upgrades.

The UK closure follows Apple's more controversial shuttering of three US stores. All three appeared to be because of the decline of the shopping malls they were based on, but one was Apple Towson, the first US Apple Store to be unionized.