A national computer games company is to apologise after putting in a planning application to take over an Abingdon jewellers -- without the store's knowledge.

Melanie Inness

The Games Stores Group -- which has 350 shops, including outlets in Oxford and Witney -- wanted to move into Abingdon and was offered premises by the landlords of the precinct.

It put in a planning application to change the front and carry out internal alterations to 14 Bury Street, occupied by Frend Jewellers.

The Vale of White Horse District Council received the application from a firm of design consultants, on behalf of Games Stores Group Ltd. But the Abingdon jewellers was not told.

The company admits there was a mix-up as to which store in the precinct was to be altered. It has since apologised to the owners of the jewellery shop.

Melanie Inness, the managing director of Frend Jewellers, said: "Our business will not be closing to make way for a games company. We are continuing to trade.

"I returned from holiday to be told by neighbouring shops that a planning application had been submitted to the council for changes to our property by another business. The whole episode has been distressing."

Frend Jewellers is the longest serving tenant in the Bury Street precinct. The late Mell Frend invested football pool winnings to set up the business. It was the first shop to open in the precinct -- opening in March 1966.

Mr Frend died last February. His wife Lorna and daughter Melanie continue to run the business.

Mrs Inness added: "This whole business has been very upsetting, as you can imagine. Customers want to know about our future and some have asked when we would be holding a closing down sale."

Mark Jacobs, of the Reading based firm Quadrant Design, which submitted the planning application, said: "This whole business has been a total mix-up. We were looking for premises in Abingdon and were offered a shop in the precinct, some of which are empty. But for some reason an application was put in to change the jeweller's shop.

"We are still investigating how this mistake came about.

"We have recently opened a shop in Witney and have one in Oxford and are not now interested in Abingdon. This whole affair has been an unfortunate mistake.

"It was not done in a malicious way and we will be apologising to Frend for the distress it has caused."

Martin Deans, a principal planning officer with the district council, said the council received the planning application for the alterations in June, but it had since been withdrawn.

Mr Deans said the company should have notified Frend Jewellers.