A TRADER has criticised the relocation by clothes store New Look from one side of Abingdon’s precinct to the other as a “publicity stunt”.

It comes after the retailer switched from its previous unit to new, larger premises on the opposite side of Bury Street, which is due to open tomorrow.

That will still leave nine units empty almost a year after shopping centre developer New River announced the £4.5m refurbishment was complete.

Niky Quartermain, 46, who works at The Bookstore on Bury Street, called the New Look move “stupid”.

She said: “As far as we know we are getting like-for-like, it is a nice publicity stunt. I wouldn’t do my Christmas shopping here.”

The revamp was paid for by current lease holders for the Abbey Precinct, Scottish Widows Investment Partnership.

And Abingdon Town Council leader Sandy Lovatt said he was frustrated by the time it is taking to fill empty units.

He said: “I think Scottish Widows are being very picky about who they are taking.

“I believe they are looking for a particular type of shop which will have some sustainability.

“I am getting impatient and frustrated that they don’t seem to be excited about the precinct.”

A spokesman for Scottish Widows said in December last year the firm was hoping to make announcements on occupiers “early in the new year”.

Bookstore owner Ian Collett added: “Scottish Widows didn’t know anything about the town when they came here and they still don’t.

“We need destination shops that bring people to Abingdon – an all-singing, all dancing New Look would have helped but it still wouldn’t have been enough.”

Abingdon Chamber of Commerce member Jill Carver, who runs Added Ingredients delicatessen on Stert Street, said she hoped the new unit would encourage other shops to come to the town.

She said: “Having the new unit put to use is excellent — maybe this will help the other one be filled.”

However, Mr Lovatt said that there was good news to come after the town council submitted its bid for £1.9m to the Heritage Lottery Fund on Monday to renovate the Guildhall.

The council is hoping to carry out a £3.5m overhaul of the Guildhall, including a new 100-seat cinema in an extension on stilts, a cafe bar with an outdoor terrace and a new entrance from Bridge Street.

Scottish Widows is planning a £48m revamp of the Charter area behind the precinct, including rebuilding the Charter car park, creating a new medical centre, a new library and a large supermarket.

Mr Lovatt said he was expecting Scottish Widows to apply for planning permission to Vale of White Horse District Council for the Charter revamp in January.

Martin Hughes, spokesman for NewRiver Retail, which manages the Abbey Shopping Centre on behalf of owners Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, said: “The New Look store will be almost three times as large as the previous unit and will offer a larger range and more choice to customers.

“The objective is to bring high-quality fashion stores to the new units to deliver longer-term benefits to the centre and the town as a whole.”