A popular food shop is to stop retailing at its branch in Ashford.

Macknade Fine Foods, based on the Elwick Place development, opened that branch only last month, having run a shop in Faversham since 1979.

But while products will still be delivered around Ashford through their delivery service, the store itself has shut for now during the coronavirus pandemic.

"A hard decision we’ve now had to take is to stop retailing at our wonderful Elwick Place," said Macknade managing director Stefano Cuomo, writing on their website.

"It has been a labour of love for the best part of a year and a half and we were thrilled to open our doors last month to such an overwhelming response.

"We want to do everything we can to protect this fledgling business in the long term, which means that stopping the retail for now is the right thing to do.

"The team in Ashford have done a fantastic job of getting Ashford off the ground and we will all be back before you know it… stronger than ever."

He added: "As I’ve just mentioned, we are not going anywhere, though.

"As it is in Faversham, Macknade will still remain a big part of the Ashford community and residents will be able to take advantage of our new local delivery service, offering a wide range of essential groceries, fruit, veg, dairy & meat direct to their doors.

"Orders for this must be placed with our central deliveries team on 01795 534497 and we will take care of the rest.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported us at Elwick Place – our incredible team, our suppliers, our contractors, Ashford Borough Council and of course, you, our customers.

"As we work together to bring this under control, we will be able to pick up where we left off in no time with an even stronger team spirit."

Mr Cuomo adds they have "implemented clear plans to manage a safe, physical environment to shop and work in" in Faversham, with a limit placed on the number of customers allowed in the store at any one time, while they continue to grow their collection and delivery service, too.

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford

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