Five new stores have opened in the The Mall Chequers in less than a month – ahead of the shopping centre’s £5m revamp.

Workmen are due on site this month for the first phase of its transformation to a 21st century retail complex.

In February, the Kent Messenger revealed how the year-long facelift plan will include light panels in ceilings, new flooring, transformed entrances, revamped toilets and lifts, exposed beams and high shopfronts.

At the former Chequers centre’s two entrances, in King Street and Gabriel’s Hill, there will be the biggest changes with a complete overhaul featuring glass frontages and an inviting concourse.

The canopy at the King Street entrance will be removed and the Gabriel’s Hill side will be expanded to include part of a neighbouring unit.

And five new firms have got in ahead of the work, most of which will be carried out overnight to minimise disruption.

They are Formula 1 clothing and merchandise, now on sale at the GP Store; men’s clothing and accessories store Empire; women’s fashion boutique Samantha’s; Slinders Florist; and Panache beauty, which offers a treatments from manicures to massages.

Shopping centre general manager Andy Davy said: “Each of these new shops offers something exciting and different for our customers and we are thrilled to welcome them and wish them success.

Originally opened in 1976 as Stoneborough, the centre now attracts 9.4 million people annually.