TWENTY five years ago Summertown was home to independent butchers, florists and fishmongers, a branch of Allied carpets and banks that no longer exist today.

A quarter of a century later the Banbury Road shops have moved distinctly upmarket with high end interior shops, chic boutiques and a continental cafe culture.

Businesses and experts both agree that an influx of wealthy residents to the area is behind the changing street scene.

Graham Jones, of traders’ group Rox, said: “One of the biggest influences on Summertown has been the growth of the supermarkets.

“We had masses of butchers and fishmongers and we’ve lost a lot of independents which is a great shame, but Summertown is still a very good suburb for shopping.

“There are new independents because obviously you go through trends, we got quite a growth of ladies’ clothes shops and very upmarket businesses and they have obviously decided there is a market in Summertown.”

He added that academics had replaced working class families in the area, fuelling demand for bespoke interiors, fashionable clothes stores and organic food.

France Baudet, owner of beauty salon Canelle in Oakthorpe Road, just off Banbury Road, set up her business in Summertown 15 years ago and has watched the retail boom happen.

She said: “We’ve always had lovely clients.

“We can see that because my salon has expanded so quickly it’s probably because of the new people coming in to live in Summertown.”

Asked if the shopping centre now catered for a more stylish clientele, she said: “Oh yes – definitely. When I opened what is now Marks & Spencer’s was a carpet shop.

“Marks & Spencer’s made a big change in 2002 and everything else followed.”

It is not just shops which have chang- ed. More than 600 Oxfam staff left eight of their nine offices in Summertown on July 29, 2005.

Some feared that the relocation of the charity to Oxford Business Park in Cowley could damage the Summertown economy, but the recent retail growth in the area seems steady.

Summertown’s latest addition is the premium frozen ready meal business COOK which opened its first Oxford branch in Summertown on October 28 last year.

Kristie Davies quit her marketing job to set up the franchise and said that despite the tough economic climate the business was meeting the targets set out in the original business plan.

She said: “It’s working out very well.

“With regards to the market, we’re aimed at the same people who are using Marks & Spencer’s Simply Food range and the JoJo Maman Bebe shop fits perfectly with us because a lot of our customers are mums-to-be and busy mums who want great tasting food without having to cook.”