A QUESTION mark hangs over the future of the Forest Centre's shops as one local retailer has said his business will be "hammered into the ground" by the arrival of the large chain shop Wilkinson. Bill Upton, co-owner of B and J Hardware, in the Forest Centre, told The Herald last week: "It will kill us, there's no doubt about it. To be hammered into the ground by Wilkinson will be awful." The arrival of the retail giant Wilkinson in Bordon has raised questions among shop owners in the centre about what will happen in their precinct. Some retailers think it will be the end for the little town centre, while others think it will be a new beginning Shop owners have said the loss of smaller retail units could have a "snowball effect" that could turn the Forest Centre into a "ghost town". However, other business owners think Wilkinson will bring more people, business and cash to Bordon. Many of the Forest Centre retailers signed a 25-year lease on their businesses and these are due to expire in three years' time. This will give shop owners a reasonable length of time with Wilkinson also trading in the centre to decide if they will stay or go. Mr Upton said: "Wilkinson will close two or three local shops. Local councillors have shot themselves in the foot. "This area will become a ghost town." He said, in his opinion, once one shop has closed, empty retail units will mean other retailers are likely to be put off moving into the area. He said: "I can't see anything to attract anyone to this area, and certainly not encouraging larger names in. Traffic is going to be horrendous. "Nobody has any real interest in the town of Bordon. I would like to see the Forest Centre flattened, and turned into something for the community." He said he felt, as a small retailer, that he had been unsupported by various councils. "We have lots of very nice and loyal customers, and I am very grateful to them for keeping us going for so long, but there's a large number of people that don't shop in Bordon," he said. "I hope they will remember in the future that there used to be one little hardware shop where you could get one nut or screw, instead of having to buy the whole packet for a pound." Some of the other retailers in the centre are not committed to staying or leaving, but plan to wait and see how trade is affected when Wilkinson open. Adam Smith, 18, has been working in Sound and Vision for four months. He said: "I think in five years this place will be empty. "We have got three massive superstores now and another one coming." Trevor Brown, 62, is the owner of Bordon Sound and Vision which was the first shop to open in the Forest Centre. Mr Brown has been working there for 22 years. He said: "The real question is how many traders will renew their leases? "Some are like me in their 60s, and one man is in his 70s. Can I afford to retire with a family to bring up? You can't survive in this day and age on a government pension. "I am biding my time and seeing what offer the landlords come up with. I think everybody's just waiting." Mr Brown stressed that it was thanks to loyal customers who always come back that his business is still running. "If local people want the Forest Centre to survive and thrive, they need to support their shops more than they are doing," he said. "How many people are going to stay if there are empty shops in the shopping centre?" Mark Dangerfield, owner of Forest Cobblers, has been there for 22 years. He explained that the retailers pay collective maintenance for the centre, so if shops are empty, they all have to contribute more to cover costs. He said if shops do pull out of the shopping centre, there could be a "snowball effect". But that he had no plans to leave the centre and that Wilkinson would not result in his trade suffering. "I think retailers will be going for short leases. I would only want to sign a five year lease," he said. "We'll have to see what happens with the rest of the shops. We all suffer because we don't get a lot of passing trade," he said. Becky Harms, owner of Inspiration, said Wilkinson would be an asset for Bordon and the Forest Centre. She said: "I think it's going to be a positive thing for the community. Every one of my customers is happy about Wilkinson coming. "I think it will bring people in and there will be more people in the shopping centre." She said she did not think one shop closing would have an effect of the centre. "The landlords will fill any empty units and they will not be empty for long," she said.
