THE new owners of Cinderford's Westgate Department Store say they'll be asking local people about the sort of shopping they want and the goods they want to see.

And the chief executive of Beales, Tony Brown, told the Review on Monday they planned no changes in staffing after buying the Cinderford store and 18 other Westgates around the country from the Anglia Cooperative Society.

"I have visited Cinderford and while it is one of our smaller stores we will be sending a focus group to ask what local people want from it in the future," he said.

"Like all our family stores, Cinderford will offer quality service and goods. We don't see any changes with our people there, but of course we will be changing its name to Beales."

The Beales group was founded as Fancy Fair in 1881 by John Elmes Beale on part of the site now occupied by its Bournemouth flagship store.