PETERSFIELDÕS town management has defended teenagers in the town who feel there is nothing for them.

Rams Walk centre manager Maggi Bennett said: ÒI must admit it comes as no surprise to read how they feel they are treated.Ó

She said it was a Ògreat shameÓ that Petersfield was not always a youth-friendly town.

Her comments were made in response to councillor George WatkinsonÕs letter to town manager Steve Johnston, which said the town had nothing to offer young people.

Mr Watkinson had his eyes opened to the way teenagers in the town felt about what was on offer to them when he attended a series of citizenship courses at The Petersfield School.

Youngsters said Petersfield had Ònothing to offerÓ them, with shopkeepers being grumpy towards them, not stocking what they wanted, and no cafes for them to socialise in.

Maggi said: ÒI quite agree that many local shopkeepers have a down on schoolchildren and treat them with suspicion, which is both sad and counter- productive as these same young people are quite likely to be tomorrowÕs adult customers. I think the problem stems, in part, from the natural fact that youngsters like to do things, including shopping, in groups, and a group of youngsters is often exuberant, which is seen as being (and in fact can be) disruptive to other customers.

ÒRetailers in Petersfield are having a hard time making a success of their businesses because of the competition from the large destination shopping centres, and anything that is seen as being disruptive to their customer base becomes a threat to their livelihood.

ÒI would be interested to know how shopkeepers treat a young person when he/she is shopping alone, or with a family member. Are they still as grumpy, or do their attitudes change?Ó

Maggi said shops specialising in youth fashion clothing had not come to Petersfield as it was not financially viable.

Fashion retailers see the youngsters in the town as being mobile, so they tend to locate in large town centres such as Guildford or destination shopping venues such as Gun Wharf Quays - both easy to get to by train from Petersfield, she said.

Mrs Bennett put the problem of Òunfriendly cafesÓ down to the fact that 60 per cent of Rams Walk shoppers are aged over 45, and so cafes are geared towards customers who spend more and stay for less time - meaning more turnover.

There had been suggestions that the town needed a Starbucks-style coffee shop.

ÒEvery time we do a shopping survey in Rams Walk it throws up the need for this type of coffee outlet; every time I have a vacant unit in Rams Walk the leasing surveyors from Prudential head office approach Starbucks, or Costa Coffee or similar outlets, to try to interest them in coming into the town, and the answer is always the same.

ÒPetersfield is not big enough to generate enough sales to make it an economically viable proposition.Ó

Much of a companyÕs ideas about opening up in a new place are down to demographic profiles, as it shows areas that generate high profits.

ÒWhat a town does or does not have is all down to market forces,Ó said Mrs Bennett. ÒItÕs that simple and that hard.Ó

Town manager Steve Johnston added: ÒThe youth of the town are a market force but they must make their voices heard, so contact me and let me know so that I can fight for you.Ó

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Mr JohnstoneÕs e-mail address is [email protected]">[email protected]