Hundreds of shoppers flock to Wycombe's new Poundworld (From This Is Local London)

Hundreds of shoppers flock to Wycombe's new Poundworld

4:11pm Monday 14th December 2009 in News By Simon Farr

HUNDREDS of shoppers crammed into High Wycombe's iconic Red Lion House as Poundworld opened its doors today.

The discount store was awash with bargain hunters within minutes of opening up in one half of the former Woolworths site in the High Street at 11am.

The 12,000sq ft unit has created 31 new jobs for High Wycombe residents and is the largest Poundworld store in the country.

Manager Sudesh Patel was delighted with the response from shoppers as staff struggled to deal with the sheer weight of demand – as customers queued half way down the shop within 30 minutes of the store opening.

He said: “You can see for yourself, it's going extremely well and the feedback from customers has been great so we're very happy.

“It took us about a week to stock the shelves and at this rate they will be empty within an hour! But we're delighted to have finally opened and to have employed 31 people from the High Wycombe area, which is hugely important in the current climate.”

Customer Monica Ross said: “I like it, it's a nice, clean store and you can easy find what you want. I only came into have a quick look and I'm leaving with an basket full of items.”

Meanwhile, Eden welcomed another big name retailer to its growing collection on Friday as handmade cosmetics giant Lush launched its new store.

The 635sq ft store, opposite HMV in the Eden shopping centre, sports the chain's new 'back to basics' look and has created a further 12 town centre jobs.

Store manager Claire Robinson said: “Eden was an obvious choice when we decided to open a store in this area, it is a stylish centre and provides a great environment for us and attracts an audience that definitely responds to our brand.”

Tim Buckley from Brookfield, joint owners of Eden with Aldersgate Investments, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lush to Eden.

“They have a great brand proposition and I’m sure our customers will be making full use of what the store has to offer, especially during the busy Christmas period.

“We’re now looking forward to a strong finish to the year and we have every reason to expect a very successful 2010.”