Five top stories in Reading this week

1. Changes at The Oracle Reading could see store close

A FRESH plan has submitted to make changes to the House of Fraser and Next Beauty at Home stores to make way for more shops and restaurants.

House of Fraser has been in The Oracle shopping centre since it opened in 1999.

But now, shopping centre owners have applied to reduce the department store space in The Oracle and divide it up for different retailers to use. These reconfigured spaces could then be occupied by different shops, cafés or restaurants.

Read full article here.

2. African restaurant in Reading ready to welcome diners

A NEW restaurant serving up gourmet African cuisine is ready to welcome diners – and hopes to offer somewhere new for professionals to be entertained.

Avila, on Oxford Road in Reading, is a new eatery run by husband and wife team Adenike and Adekunle Kalejaiye.

The pair have been running a takeaway and catering business for the last three years and now have extended their offering to include a restaurant.

Read full article here.

3. QPR midfielder 'expected' to join Reading FC, reports suggest

FORMER Queen's Park Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Luke Amos is 'expected' to join Reading, according to reports.

The 26-year-old is a free agent after leaving Loftus Road over the summer and has spent a time on trial with the club- even featuring in Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Sutton United.

A Championship regular with almost 100 appearances for the R's under his belt, the central midfielder featured 21 times as the West London outfit narrowly avoided relegation.

Read full article here.

4. The Oracle Reading store changes: what you need to know

A PLAN for The Oracle in Reading has been submitted which could bring historic changes to shopping centre.

Until the pandemic the centre has had two department stores House of Fraser and Debenhams, which have been in the centre since it opened in 1999.

Although Debenhams closed in 2020, the store was occupied by Next Beauty & Home and House of Fraser has soldiered on, still attracting customers.

Read full article here.

5. Former Brentford captain among Reading FC targets, reports suggest

FORMER Brentford captain Harlee Dean and Reading forward Chris Martin are among potential targets for the Royals, according to reports.

Still only looking at loans and free agents, the pool of potential options in the three weeks before the season starts is dwindling.

Both vastly experienced, Martin and Dean have over 1000 professional appearances between them.

Read full article here.