On November 4, the UK's largest Harry Potter shop will officially open on London's Oxford Street, located in The Ribbon complex at 134–140. This flagship store will occupy more than 21,000 square feet (about 1,950 sq m) over two floors, becoming the country's second official shop after the specialized outlet at King's Cross station.
The interior design is entirely inspired by Diagon Alley: visitors will see a full-size Knight Bus, a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon mounted above the Gringotts vault area, as well as the Leaky Cauldron pub, where they can sample butterbeer and food.
Warner Bros. has already released concept art for the shop, giving a preview of what this magical retail street will look like ahead of the official opening.
The new shop adds to Warner Bros.'s line-up of Harry Potter tourist attractions in London, which already includes the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London and the King's Cross shop. Incidentally, Oxford Street, where this outlet is opening, receives around 500,000 visitors daily, making it one of the busiest shopping streets in the world.
The decision is entirely logical, especially given that the Harry Potter phenomenon continues to attract new fans worldwide, and London has long been a pilgrimage destination for film enthusiasts.
A question arises: whether this new tourist influx will further burden already congested Oxford Street, and how the shop will blend with traditional British retail. It also remains unclear for now whether the technological features used in the design, such as the dragon's moving parts, will actually work as promised in the concept art, but the coming months will tell.
