Hollywood Bowl gearing up to open at The Oracle Reading

The nationwide bowling company will be occupying the ground floor of the former House of Fraser department store at The Oracle riverside.

Hollywood Bowl is set to open alongside TK Maxx in the summer of next year.

The old House of Fraser department store has been sealed off since its closure last October, with Yo Sushi closing shortly afterwards.

Work on the department store involves it being divided into three for the new occupants.

READ MORE: What next for The Oracle explained as department stores and restaurants close

In preparation for opening, The Original Bowling Company that owns the Hollywood Bowl has applied for a licence to sell food and alcohol and provide entertainment at the unit it will occupy.

In full, The Original Bowling Company has applied to open, sell food and provide entertainment such as bowling from 9am to 12.30am each day of the week.

Meanwhile, alcohol would be sold from 10am to midnight each day.

The Original Bowling Company has also applied to stay open until 2.30am on New Year’s Eve, with alcohol sales ending at 2am on that night.

Yo Sushi, which closed after House of Fraser, will become Hollywood Bowl at The Oracle Riverside in Reading. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

The application has been submitted to Reading Borough Council’s licensing department.

You can comment on it by emailing licensing@reading.gov.uk, with the deadline for responses being Friday, February 9.

Hollywood Bowl has had plans to open in The Oracle since 2019, when a plan emerged to convert the House of Fraser into a bowling alley, food hall, adventure golf zone and smaller stores.

While that plan was approved in March 2020, progress has only recently been made after a follow-up plan to divide up House of Fraser and the former Debenhams store was given the go ahead last September.

Hollywood Bowl and TK Maxx were announced as new occupants in December by mall operator Hammerson.

At the time, Harry Badham, the chief development and asset repositioning officer at Hammerson, said: “Across our portfolio, we have established proof of the impact of investment and repositioning projects such as these, especially when we partner with national and global best in class operators.

“Reading remains a top 20 retail destination in the UK and undergoing an ambitious investment programme across the town, supported by the strong infrastructure and young population.

“This diversification of The Oracle’s offer is a first step for us and will complement our future plans for new homes, flexible workspace and improved entrances and public realm.”

Hollywood Bowl will occupy the ground floor, with TK Maxx occupying the lower mall, with the upper mall unit of the old House Fraser store being ‘under offer’ according to property marketing website Completely Retail.

There are currently Hollywood Bowl centres nearby in Bracknell, Basingstoke and High Wycombe.