An Australian fashion brand popular with celebrities including Margot Robbie is set to arrive on Marlow High Street – but not everyone’s excited.

Leatherwear company R. M. Williams is setting up shop at number 46 on the High Street, replacing one of Marlow’s last-departing banks, HSBC, which closed last July.

It comes after property investor and developer Sorbon Estates acquired a freehold interest in the unit last summer and began a project to “revitalise” the shop into an enticing retail space.

Developers said the company, which specialises in leather boots and shoes as seen on celebrities including Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy, is “looking forward to bringing its unique retail offer to Marlow”, and “building on the success of its London stores”.

Reacting to the news, some residents were excited about the prospect of a “fantastic quality” retailer arriving in the town, with Sophie Harkin describing R. M. Williams as a “great addition to the High Street”.

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Mark Bradford shared her view, adding that he had been a “daily wearer” of the brand’s products “for decades”, describing them as “amazing footwear”.

However, for others, it served as a reminder that Marlow now has no in-person banks, with building society Nationwide the last remaining big-name offering in-store help and consultation.

Sharon Lindsay said she would “be more excited to hear that the bank was staying open”, while Debbie Keenan also said she would have preferred that her bank “stay put” rather than make way for a new retail offering. 

46 High Street is the first of four ex-banks in the town to receive the makeover and reoccupation treatment, with former Lloyds, Barclays and Natwest units still lying empty.

What kind of business would you like to see fill them up?