De Bradelei Wharf could reopen as soon as this weekend with staff who lost their jobs reemployed.

And workers are expected to get the month’s pay they lost when the Dover factory shopping outlet suddenly closed on October 4.

A member of management at the Cambridge Road centre said: “This is all good news for Dover. We were hoping to reopen today but it is taking slightly longer.

“We now hope to open to customers by next week or even this weekend.”

The outlet, which has about 100 staff, has now been taken over by a businessmen called Kieron Armstrong, who already owns several shops in northern England.

The outlet closed earlier this month with many workers only being told on the evening of their last day at work.

They were left with no pay for their last month but it is now understood that it can be reclaimed through government officials.

The manager said: “Contracts are still being signed so everything is still up in the air. But we are confident that will all will get our jobs back.”

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke welcome the news but wanted to be certain that all staff would be rehired and get all their back pay.

He said: “It’s great to hear De Bradelei will be opening its doors again.

“But we still need guarantees from the former owners that hard-working staff will be paid every penny they are owed.

“They lost their jobs without warning or wages. They will have mortgages and rent to pay – and need to put food on the table.”

“In the meantime, the new owners should give these people their jobs back.”

Sister centres at Nottingham and Derbyshire had also suddenly ceased trading on October 4.
It was revealed that the then parent company of De Bradelei Stores had written off a £370,000 investment in the retail business last year.

The Davy Group, based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, had a majority share in the Dover centre.
It made a profit of just £4.379 in the year to the end of June 2015 after the write-down of cash it had injected into the outlet centres.

No official comment has yet been received from the owners or senior management.