Flagship Harry Potter Store to Open on London’s Oxford Street
Warner Bros has announced plans for a 21,000 sq ft Harry Potter flagship store on Oxford Street, one of London’s most bustling shopping corridors.
The Global Experiences division describes the two-floor store as an “interactive retail experience,” featuring recreations of the franchise’s most iconic settings, as well as “photo moments” and exclusive merchandise.
Karl Durrant of Warner’s worldwide retail division said the store, set to open in the autumn, will serve as a bridge between the series’ brick-and-mortar attractions and its shopping opportunities. “Fans will experience this magical world in a new, city-centre setting that’s so central to the stories,” he noted.
The store is planned for the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, just a short walk from the theatre where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues to run. The production’s two-part show will conclude on 20 September and will resume as a single production (in line with other productions globally) on 6 October.
London already hosts a smaller, popular Harry Potter shop in Kings Cross station, beside a photo-op space where visitors can pretend to push a trolley through a brick wall to reach Platform 9¾.
Warners’ Leavesden base just outside London operates Harry Potter studio tours, and there are six Harry Potter-themed attractions at Universal Studios parks worldwide.
Other major Harry Potter shops operate in New York, Chicago, and Tokyo. Oxford Street already features several unofficial Potter retailers, some of which have recently faced scrutiny over business practices.
The official London store is expected to attract tourists and guide them toward its doors, potentially drawing attention away from less legitimate outlets. It will open in time to capitalise on anticipated activity around the franchise’s 25th anniversary of the release of the first film.
Next year will also see the first series of HBO’s television adaptation of JK Rowling’s books, which aims to explore the wizarding world in greater depth than the films.
As of February 2023, the book series has sold over 600 million copies globally, while the film franchise ranks as the fourth-highest-grossing ever, accruing $7.7 billion at the box office.
