Chesham gets permanent WH Smith's

9:57am Friday 4th January 2002

WH SMITH has made so much money from Christmas trade in Chesham that the temporary town centre store will now be permanent.

The move will bring ten full and part-time jobs to the town and give a much-needed boost to the High Street, which lacks high-profile names.

A spokesman for WH Smith said: "Chesham did very well over the Christmas period. There are three temporary shops we are keeping open around the country, which are the three that did the best, and Chesham is one of them."

WH Smith sparked controversy in Chesham after revealing when it came to the town in November that its store was one of a number of temporary outlets across the country, and was due to go after the January sales.

Residents, who believed the store was stealing trade from local firms only to disappear with the money, raised a petition calling for a boycott of the shop.

Peter Willoughby, the leader of traders' body Chesham in Business, described WH Smith's decision as "one in the eye" for all those who had decided to shun the store.

Sylvia Barker, of Ley Hill, Chesham, told the Free Press this week the news that the store would stay open was exactly what the group organising the petition had wanted all along.

Chesham Residents Association chairman Derek Lacey said: "They got a lot of stick when they came into the town. People thought they were just coming in for Christmas to take trade from local businesses. They got criticised and that was right. If they'd pulled out next week I'd have been unhappy, but all is forgotten."

Even rival stores have welcomed the new firm. Liz Payne, of High Street book store Chapter One, said: "Competition is the best thing in the world for people. We live in a democracy and any shop can come to any town."

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