5:03pm Wednesday 17th February 2010
By Andrew Smith
EVERY store in the county left vacant by the demise of Woolworths has been taken over by new businesses.
Nine properties in Oxfordshire have found new tenants within 15 months of the former high street giant closing with the loss of 323 jobs.
The last remaining store in Wantage, which has been empty since 2008, will be filled by Thame-based furniture retailer Cargo on Friday, February 26, employing 10 staff.
Last night business leaders welcomed the news as a major milestone.
Oxfordshire Town Chambers Network director Iain Nicholson said: “When Woolworths closed its stores it left a hole in our towns and shopping centres.
“The fact that all nine have been taken up by other retailers is very encouraging.
“It has been a challenging year for business and retail has been no exception, but there is a huge amount of work being done to strengthen our high streets.
“That needs to continue, but the re-letting of the ex-Woolworths stores and the numbers of independent stores opening in our towns is a strong signal of the confidence there is in our high streets and shopping centres even in these challenging economic times.”
The new stores taking up the nine ex-Woolworths premises are: Iceland (Bicester); H&M (Banbury); Sainsbury’s (Thame & Henley); 99p Stores (Witney & Templars Square, Cowley); Cargo (Abingdon & Wantage) and Alworths (Didcot).
Templars Square manager Aaron Bayliss said: “We are delighted to welcome 99p Stores. They, and we, have already seen a healthy increase in trade.”
Janette Reed, of Witney Independent Traders’ Association, said: “An empty shop can drag down an area, and although many personally miss ‘good old Woolies’, the 99p Store is proving to be a draw.”
Bicester Chamber of Commerce president Ben Jackson said the new Iceland store was part of the £70m revival of the town centre which would see a seven-screen cinema, a Sainsbury’s supermarket and retail and restaurant units created.
Paul Jackson, commercial manager at the Castle Quay shopping centre in Banbury, said: “There is no doubt the loss of Woolworths was a major blow to confidence.
“It has taken investment and expertise to attract a quality retailer such as H&M, but I’m pleased we’ve been successful.”
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