A TOTAL of 200 people took away application forms at the first two days of a major recruitment drive for a new store in High Wycombe.

The Nottinghamshire family retailer Wilkinson, which already has 186 stores across the UK, aims to open its High Wycombe store in the Chilterns Shopping Centre in early April as part of its expansion plans in the south east and south west.

Wilkinson, which is creating 80 new jobs, has taken over the gap left by C&A in the shopping centre.

Kitchenware, clothing and DIY decorations are among the 25,000 product lines which will be available at the store.

New store manager Simon Shankster, said: "The Jobs Jamboree has gone very well indeed and we have had a lot of interest in the 80 full and part-time jobs we are bringing to High Wycombe.

"It really is a brilliant response and we are extremely pleased with the calibre of candidate we are seeing.

"We are now looking forward to taking on our new team members and contributing to the growth of the town's economy when we open."

The company was also due to hold a third recruitment day on Tuesday.

Further information is also available from the JobCentre or through the company's web site at www.wilko.co.uk.