Atik in Oxford is expected to close in Park End Street

The club, which is known locally as Park End, is a favourite among students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University.

The venue is scheduled to close at the end of June with a view to being converted into office blocks.

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A spokesperson for the club's parent company Rekom said the landlord of Cantay House, the building where the club is based, has decided that Atik will have to close its doors on June 30.

It comes as the city council has plans to revamp the city's West End.

This includes Nuffield College proposals to redevelop the ‘island’ of buildings between Park End Street, Hythe Bridge Street and Worcester Street.

While it will remain open for the university Trinity term, the nightclub will have closed its doors before Freshers’ Week in September.

As a result, Oxford colleges will no longer be able to book club nights there and will instead look to alternative locations such as Bridge and The Varsity Club.

The last Park End Wednesday night at Atik is listed for June 19.

The nightclub was rumoured to be closing its doors earlier this year, following the closure of several other branches across the UK.

In February, Peter Marks, the chairman of Rekom UK, announced the closure of 17 venues with the loss of 500 jobs.

Mr Marks, the boss of Atik and Pryzm clubs, said students hit by the cost of living crisis were cutting back on clubbing.

Atik in Oxford was not affected at that point but the closure announcement has now been made.

Thom Airs, who works for public relations firm Fortitude Communications, said in a statement: "Just been alerted that Park End/Atik closes next month.

"I make that seven nightclubs that have closed without replacement in Oxford in the last 20 years.

"I'm ancient and in bed by midnight, but I find that very sad for younger people in the city."

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Rekom told Oxford University paper Cherwell that the landlord plans “to redevelop Cantay House into offices” and although “we offered a number of solutions to enable Atik to remain open…all of our proposals to continue trading were rejected by the landlord”.

A spokesperson for Rekom added: “We are absolutely distraught for the local community, student market, staff and management, and businesses on Park End street that rely on Atik to support their business and the late night economy as a whole.” 

One anonymous Oxford University student said: “Atik and Park End nights are such a big part of the city and university’s social scene - it’s a real shame to see that go.”

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Writing about the proposed closure in the Oxford Student, Lucy Pollock said: "Nightclubs rely, to an extent, on the sale of drinks, and this in particular has taken a hit in recent years, with many students avoiding buying drinks in nightclubs.

"Partially, this is another effect of the cost of living crisis. Students may be able to justify the price of a club ticket, but not the price of drinks at the club.

"Particularly when a double can cost more than £10, drinking in clubs no longer seems worth the high price."

She added: "The culture of clubbing has also changed.

"It is far more acceptable to spend time drinking before going clubbing, buying cheaper drinks elsewhere to reach the perfect level of drunk right before going into the club."

It is understood that Rekom is still seeking a solution that could save the club but is preparing for the June 30 closure date.

Close to 400 clubs permanently shut down between March 2020 and December 2023, according to the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).

The NTIA said this equated to 10 closures per month and two per week.

Pryzm clubs in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Watford are among those to have shut in 2024, along with Atik nightclubs in Dartford, Romford, Windsor and Wrexham.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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