Oswestry has missed out on trade from North Wales because of Wrexham’s Eagles Meadow shopping centre, it has been claimed, amid fears Oswestry may not need a new supermarket.

A new report by retail experts claims Eagles Meadow has helped discourage people from North Wales from travelling to rival towns to shop.

It comes after doubts were raised this week over whether Oswestry needs a new multi-million pound supermarket.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England report claims the recession, recent retail development in the town and new supermarkets in neighbouring towns means there is probably no longer a demand for a store.

There are currently four rival bids submitted for a new Oswestry supermarket.

The report by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) looks at how Eagles Meadow was developed to help prevent shoppers being lured away to neighbouring towns. The BRC report, called 21st Century High Streets: A new vision for our town centres, highlights Wrexham as an example to others in how to stop retail “leakage”.

The new report praises Wrexham for its approach.

Ambitions to create a new shopping area were triggered several years ago when studies showed that Wrexham was leaking high street spend to its competitors in the area.

The project began when one of the town’s supermarkets relocated to another site, freeing up a Wrexham Council-owned eight-acre plot for redevelopment.

And it culminated with the opening of the Eagles Meadow shopping area in autumn last year.