MANY shops in Wycombe are waiting with bated breath to see what impact the opening of Eden will have on them next week.

While some stand to benefit, and even move into the new centre, others are bracing themselves for a difficult few months.

Bill Pollard, manager of the Chilterns Shopping Centre was optimistic, but accepted his centre would face some hardships.

He said: "We know there will be a drop in trade because of what Eden is going to attract. This happens all over the country - this is nothing new, but we will go forward. We're pleased for the town and there will be a lot of opportunities for a lot of people.

"There will be empty units for a while, but unfortunately that's the name of the game. But I'm sure that come the autumn there will be quite a few different names in the Chilterns Centre."

Khalil Ahmed, manager of The Coffee Cup in the Chilterns Centre, was confident that his business would bounce back from the competition of Eden's new cafes and restaurants.

He said: "It might make a bit of a difference early on, but we've had regular customers coming here for seven years. In five or six months it should be back to normal.

"The biggest problem is going to be car parking and traffic. If that can be sorted Eden will be a big benefit for us. It will get more customers coming to Wycombe, and people will stay here and not go off to other towns."

Surinder Patel, owner of Supernews in High Street feared the impact Eden will have on that end of town. He said: "I think everybody's going from the High Street - Superdrug is going, Boots is going. We don't know who's going to come here instead.

"Most of our trade is from people who work in shops in the town, but if nobody comes this side, we are in trouble. It's a worry."