Businesses are afraid existing shops will lose out to new stores in Didcot's planned 30m Orchard Centre - unless shoppers are encouraged to circulate freely between the two centres.
Despite plans showing pedestrian links between new shops and Broadway, the Chamber of Commerce president David Hawkins said: "We don't want a 'them and us' situation."
He said they were worried shoppers turning up by car, bus or taxi at the new Orchard Centre would not realise many established businesses were outside the new centre. Mr Hawkins said they envisaged the appointment of a town centre manager whose role could include jobs carried out by the present town centre manager Vic Clinch.
Mr Hawkins, who runs Clothes for Children and a shoe department in Broadway, said: "There are at least 50 established shops and businesses along Broadway which could be affected to a greater or lesser extent by competition from the scheme.
"We aren't afraid of competition we are just calling for a level playing field with shoppers encouraged to circulate freely between both groups of shops."
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