An Asian food store which bosses hope will bring something different to a town centre has opened.

Wanhe, in New Rents, Ashford, is run by husband-and-wife team Lin and Yan after the pair spotted a gap in the market.

"In Ashford we found there is no proper Asian store," Yan said.

"There are salons and nail shops so we wanted to bring something different.

"Ashford high street is really quiet so we want to help, if there are different shops, people will be more likely to come out.

"We sell food from across China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

"We have ingredients people can't really find anywhere else, so our aim is to help them cook more easily."

While there are still shelves to fill, Yan and Lin hope to build up the shop 'little by little' to turn it into a place people can rely on for Asian cooking.

However they feel more places to park for free in the town would help their business.

Yan added: "If there was free parking it might make it easier for people coming to our store.

"It would be good if they could make the car parks free a bit earlier."

Six shops in New Rents are set to be demolished later this year to make way for a 92-bed hotel, but Wanhe will not be affected by the development.