A retail giant has confirmed it is to shut down another Kent town centre branch.

WHSmith's store in Gravesend located within the St George's Shopping Centre will be closing its doors later this year.

A WHSmith spokesman said: "Unfortunately, we are unable to continue to trade viably from this location and the decision has been taken to close the store as a result of the forthcoming lease expiry.

"We are disappointed to be losing our presence in Gravesend and we would like to thank all our customers for their support and for shopping with us.

"We are also extremely grateful for the commitment of our in store colleagues who we will support with this transition and redeploy to nearby stores, where possible."

They added that customers will still be able to shop with the brand at their nearby store in Bluewater near Dartford after the final day's trading on March 5.

Ahead of its closure the bookseller is holding a "closing down everything must go" sale.

The shop currently houses the Post Office which will be moving to another unit only 30 metres away.

It will be run by a new operator and will mean longer opening hours adding an extra 30 hours per week and a new card and stationery shop.

This is the latest WHSmith's to close in north Kent following the branch in Gillingham high street which closed on January 8.