THE future of a menswear store in Wantage town centre has been secured following a buy-out, its new owner has confirmed.

Peter and Linda Badger have run the Market Place Badgers Menswear shop for the last 45 years.

It has now been bought by internet retailer Online Commerce Ltd, as the firm was keen to gain a presence on the high street.

The shop, together with branches in Abingdon and Newbury, have been rebranded as Dapper Street, selling men’s clothing and urban streetwear.

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Owner Stephen Graham said: “The Badgers shops could have closed if we had not bought out the chain.

“We have kept on the staff who wanted to stay on and we will be adding to the staff.

“Badgers has been going for about 100 years in different guises so it has a very strong following in Oxfordshire.

“Out of all the stores the one in Wantage is changing the least.

“It’s in a beautiful three-storey listed building in the Market Place, with clothing on two storeys and office space on the third.

“People who bought clothes at Badgers when they were kids are now coming back when they are at college or as adults and we are still accepting all Badgers gift vouchers.

“Dapper Street is a men’s outfitters selling a similar product but we have introduced a lot of new brands.”

Mr Graham said a Badgers store in Witney closed earlier this year.

There are now Dapper Street shops in Wantage, Witney, Abingdon and Newbury.

Last month, Wantage was named the best town centre in a national awards scheme.

Wantage beat Worcester and Falkirk in Scotland to win the town centre category in the Great British High Street Awards.

The title recognised the work of Government-funded town co-ordinators Iain Nicholson and Mim Norvell.

They launched a town prospectus to help fill 21 of 23 vacant shops in 18 months and also created the Mix community space for local groups like the Scouts.

Town mayor Fiona Roper said: “Badgers is so well known as a name on the high street that I’m sorry to hear it has gone.

“But it’s good news that Wantage is keeping its menswear store with Dapper Street.

“If the shop had closed that would have meant a vacancy and we don’t want that. At the moment all the retail units are taken.”

Last Thursday, Mrs Roper joined Wantage MP Ed Vaizey, Penny Mordaunt MP, Minister for High Streets, and Vale of White Horse District Council leader Matthew Barber, to pick up the town centre award.

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