NEWS that a new Poundland store is to open in Abergavenny's Cibi Walk has attracted mixed reactions from traders and residents alike, many of whom fear it is another step towards the town becoming a discount centre with its 'charm' under threat as a result of the rise in numbers of charity shops, betting shops, and low cost retails outlets.

Amid fears from traders that local businesses could suffer, local shoppers have said they are delighted with the news that the pound store is to open in the town in mid May, when it will take over three units in the Cibi Walk precinct.

Across the UK many stores have closed over the past five years, and a large percentage of these premises have been taken over by pound shops, coffee shops and charity shops.

Poundland itself has taken the place of 113 stores that have gone into administration in this time nationwide, and some people have expressed concern that this is causing a huge shift in the state of the high street.

To add to this, there are also rumours that Primark will be bringing a store to the town, yet another low cost chain store that is expected to take over more space on Abergavenny's already struggling high street.

The Associate Director of Citigate Dewe Rogerson, the PR Company for Primark, claimed she was unable to comment on the possibility of future developments from the retail giant in the town, but with rumours circulating the town for weeks that the store is set to open in the former Richards department store, many people are concerned about what the impact could be for the high street in Abergavenny.

One local resident said, "The high street in Abergavenny is clearly not doing as well as it once was, and the addition of another 'cheap' store is not the way to get the town back to the way it once was."

"I've heard that Burton is due to close soon which will be another blow," he said.

Arcadia, the owners of Burton, would not comment as whether the store will be closing, although last year's closure of Arcadia-owned Dorothy Perkins in Cibi Walk, highlights that the town is struggling to bring in the desired trade for these outlets.

While some independent stores may be glad to be free of the competition from high street chain clothes stores, particular the local boutiques, some feel that this change to the high street is having a detrimental effect all around.

Emma Goode of Goodies said, "The situation in Abergavenny High Street is rather bad, particularly for independent stores.

"In order for the town to thrive we need to have a balance of stores across the town. If more value chain stores come to the town, it makes it hard for the independents to compete.

"It can be argued that in Abergavenny there is a surplus of value retailers and, while they do bring footfall to the town, it is not always the right footfall.

"On the surface it can seem like the high street is doing well, but if you speak to retailers many will tell you that they are having the worst trade in 30 years.

"The economic climate is recovering, but it will take a long time for that to feed back down the chain to independent local stores, so we need to make the effort to use our high street to keep these businesses going. If a town is just full of coffee shops, charity shops and value retailers, it will not help businesses such as ours survive."

Despite these concerns, many residents are pleased to see a new addition to the town, and the trading director of Poundland, Richard Lancaster, has expressed his excitement at the store coming to the town.

Mr Lancaster, said, "Poundland has grown significantly over the past 12 months and it's fantastic to see this expansion continuing with a new store in Abergavenny.

"We're looking forward to opening our doors!" he added.