One of Folkestone's biggest branded high street stores will be closing next month.

Next in the Bouverie Place shopping centre will close on Saturday, July 14.

But the company has said all 24 jobs at the branch in the town centre have been saved by transfers to Dover, when the new store at the St James Retail Park opens just days later.

A spokesman for Next said: "The Folkestone store is closing on July 14 and the new store in Dover is opening on July 17.

"All staff have been transferred and half of the team will have extra hours from what they had before.

"There are also seven new members of staff being taken on in the new store in Dover."

These additional employees mean the workforce in the Dover store will increase overall to 31 members of staff.

Bouverie Place shopping centre opened in the town in November 2007 and the £30m complex took two years to build. Next has been on the site in Alexandra Gardens since its opening.

The Next chain was launched in February 1982 and today Next has more than 500 stores in the UK and Eire, with around 200 stores in 40 countries overseas.