A village store and post office has changed hands for the first time in 42 years.

Linklater Stores in Rolvenden was sold for £750,000 and will continue to trade.

New owner, Malar Rajananikkam, said: “We are delighted to take over the store and are looking forward to building on the great service provided by the previous owners.

"The village is a perfect place to bring up our young family and we look forward to welcoming customers old and new.”

Jack Dudley, senior business agent at specialist business property firm Christie & Co’s Maidstone office, which handled the sale, added: “This was a really attractive opportunity to purchase a village store, which, combined with the post office, is the hub of the local community.

“The volume of enquiries we received illustrates the level of demand for high performing convenience stores and post offices in the region and we expect this to continue throughout 2019.”