Businesses in the heart of Chelmsford are being asked to join a "save Bolingbroke & Wenley" campaign.

The move follows last week's announcement that the department store's family owners were considering an offer to sell their High Street site for £12.5 million.

Already, 20 retailers in the Meadows Centre have signed up to centre manager Malcolm Tilsed's initiative.

He believes that the prospect of B & W leaving the site would be a disaster for the town. The company was an individual quality retailer and added character and charm to the town centre, he said.

"It would be of great benefit to gain your views on whether you believe a campaign should be launched to save B & W," says Mr Tilsed in a circular.

On Wednesday, he was due to take his suggestion further at a meeting of Chelmsford Retailers Association, of which he is chairman.

Chelmsford Chamber of Commerce president Mick McDonagh believes, however, that the potential change at B & W could be just part of an evolving vibrancy for the town.

He said: "There is naturally a lot of emotion about Bolingbroke & Wenley, but they do hold a key to a prime, sought-after site, which I think would attract new business of the highest order."

Bolingbroke & Wenley director Simon Watkins said: "We half expected this sort of very touching sentiment from customers and the people of Chelmsford.

"Such a suggestion from a town centre manager is a little surprising, but no less welcome, but the commercial reality of it is that unless his campaign can raise the money to match the commercial offer, nothing is likely to change."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.