A POPULAR shop that has served customers for 37 years has been forced to close down with the owner blaming high street “chaos”.
Specialist music reproduction store Audio Consultants has operated in Botley, Oxford, since 1988.
The independent shop on Park End Street was a frequent haunt for music lovers.
But the music reproduction store has since been forced to shut its doors for the final time.
Jon Harker, who moved to the area in 1977 from said that “mayhem” caused by the closure of Botley Road was to blame.
The building has been recently sold to Schroders, which have applied to redevelop it into a new music venue.
Mr Harker’s was given a short-term lease of 11 months, which he described as “a blessing in disguise”;.
Speaking to the Oxford Mail, he said: “I’m just so glad we’ve moved out of central Oxford.
“We’re down the end of Botley Road, and every time I have to go to the shop with a vehicle, I have to go to the ring road and back down Abingdon Road – until August next year.
“The whole thing is mayhem.”;
Mr Harker now runs the high-end audio business from a studio at his home.
He branded the situation “chaotic”; and said trying to get into town with his van had become a nightmare.
Because of the lengthy diversion via the ring road and Abingdon Road, even a simple trip to the shop had turned into a mission.
Mr Harker also took aim at city leaders, accusing them of being “anti-car”; and more focused on keeping vehicles out than helping businesses survive.
He added: “They just want to make it so miserable for drivers that they don’t come back.”
And Mr Harker warned that the changes could mean that Oxford risks losing its appeal for shoppers altogether.
Although he said his shop wasn’t totally wrecked by the changes, Mr Harker admitted the policies have almost certainly hit business.
He called the short lease “a blessing in disguise”;, saying he was ready to move on.
Now, the audio pro has built a new showroom and listening studio at his home in Botley – just off the ring road – where he’ll carry on selling elite hi-fi gear to loyal customers.
He said the shift to home-based retail won’t change much, with his niche offering, loyal client base, and top-end products still firmly in demand.
Over the years, Mr Harker has seen economic ups and downs, but reckons it’s the personal touch and specialist service that keeps his business booming.
“We’ve got customers who’ve been with us since day one – they’re more like old mates now,”; he said.
Sadly, the Oxford shop's closure seems to be no exception to a growing rule of high-street closures across the UK.
The forecasts that more than 17,000 will close this year, resulting in more than 200,000 losses.
The Centre has found a significant drop in retail spending in recent years, with a sales fall of -4.6% in 2022, -2.8% in 2023 and -0.2% in 2024.
This trend does not look set to improve in the near future, with the Centre forecasting further year-on-year sales cuts by -2.1% this year, and -2.5% in 2026.
The consequences of these findings were evidenced in a report, which showed 10,000 UK High Street store closures in 2023.
It concluded that retail's dominance on the high street “is something of the past,” instead suggesting that the future belongs to and establishments.
The report said that , communities and needed to work together to create better footfall on high streets.
For example, by making them accessible with better links and additional .
