Book wars are brewing in Oxford - with the launch of two new in-store coffee shops.

In Broad Street, historic Blackwells is today launching its GoodBean outlet on the first-floor, offering customers expresso-based coffees and hand-baked cakes and pastries.

Customers will be able to sink into leather sofas and browse, while enjoying a coffee at the same time.

But rivals Waterstone's, who have a cafe and restaurant at their new flagship branch in London's Piccadilly, have vowed to get even by building their own coffee shop - which could be situated on the store's roof.

Philip Budge, store manager at Waterstone's in Cornmarket, said: "We have limited space but we are definitely going to start a coffee shop in the New Year and it might even be on the roof. There would be tremendous views of Oxford. We do understand the need for people to sit down and have a cup of coffee." Jon Holt, of the Brighton-based GoodBean franchise, said he was sure the coffee shop would attract more customers to 120-year-old Blackwells.

"The coffee will stimulate the senses," he said, "and this can only make buying books a more enjoyable experience."

Mixing coffee with book-buying originated in the United States where the Borders chain has made it popular.

Now Borders has given notice to Blackwells and Waterstone's bosses in Oxford that they really need to wake up and smell the coffee - because the giant American chain has rented 26,000sq ft of space on the renovated Debenhams site just across the road from Waterstone's.

Borders spokesman Andrea Marks said: "We hope the shop will be open in time for Christmas 2000. It will be a Borders books, cafe and music store, selling 200,000 titles - and lots of coffee."

Blackwells sales development manager James Kightly said: "We are very comfortable adding the coffee shop to our profile and we think it is appropriate for Blackwells.

"Competition is bound to be good for customers," he said.

Story date: Tuesday 16 November

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.