German appliance manufacturer Miele, which has been based in Abingdon since 1981, has long been one of the town’s major employers. Its headquarters on Marcham Road occupies a large site close to the Marcham Interchange.

The company has now announced a major reorganisation of its UK operations. Logistics and warehousing will transfer to Northampton from early 2027, while many office-based staff have been told their roles will move to Reading. Employees now face difficult decisions about relocating, commuting or, in some cases, redundancy.

For many local people, Miele is best known for its Experience Centre, where visitors can explore the latest appliances, see cutaway machines revealing the engineering inside, and watch cooking demonstrations in the upstairs kitchens. Around ten years ago it hosted the Abingdon Food and Drink Festival, giving many people their first chance to see the Experience Centre and watch top chefs in action.

There’s also the Miele Outlet, where returned and ex-display appliances are sold at reduced prices.

So far, there has been no confirmation about the long-term future of Miele’s Abingdon headquarters or the wider impact of the reorganisation on the site.

Whatever happens next, Miele has been an important part of Abingdon for more than four decades. The company arrived not long after the closure of the MG car plant and has provided employment for generations of local people. Many households in the area own Miele appliances, helped by the nearby Experience Centre and Outlet, staff discounts, and family connections with people who have worked there over the years.

This blog post is a little overdue, as the changes took place back in June, but if you haven’t visited Coxeter’s Yard recently, there are a couple of businesses have found new homes.

The former pet store premises, on the Stratton Way side of Coxeter’s Yard, is now occupied by a new café.

Meanwhile, the pet store hasn’t gone far and has a huge sign. It has moved further into Coxeter’s Yard, next to Behind Bars, the bicycle shop, close to the car park.

Mostly Books celebrated its twentieth anniversary yesterday.

The shop window, which is usually home to one of its distinctive painted displays, currently features How the Oceans Work by Dr Lucia Perez Diaz. Copies of the book are on display alongside a display for Paint Abingdon Pink. Framing the door is an arch made from balloons and books, looking like something oceanic.

Twenty years ago, on 1 July 2006, the doors opened for the first time. There were still books in boxes and shelves were being sorted as customers wandered in. It was the hottest day of the year. There was Wimbledon and World Cup Football, but people kept coming through the door on that first day, delighted to find Abingdon had another bookshop (the town already had The Bookstore).

Champagne was offered to customers, although many preferred water in the heat. One customer asked whether they could buy a Pride & Prejudice deckchair like the one in the window. Another volunteered to run toddler story sessions. And the card reader gave up in the heat of the afternoon. The customer whose payment was being processed emptied the contents of her purse, and was given a staff discount so she could still leave with her books.

By the end of that first day, the shop had sold books, cards, mugs and cookware. The premises had previously been the second outlet for Added Ingredients, trading as “& More Ingredients”, and some of that cookware was still being sold alongside the books. After months of planning Mark and Nikki Thornton had a bookshop.

Eleven years later, in June 2017, the keys of the bookshop were handed over to a new owner, Sarah Dennis, who has now been in charge for nine years. Yesterday’s anniversary brought Mark and Nikki back to visit Sarah. See Anna’s Book Blog at https://annabookbel.net/mostly-books-is-20-years-old for a short report and picture.