It took two years to build and transformed Maidstone into a stylish shopping destination, while still giving a nod to the County Town’s history.

Now Fremlin Walk shopping centre has marked 10 years since it opened its first swishing shop doors.

The centre, built between Earl Street and St Faiths Street, was named after the brewery which took up much of the area. Its archway and clock were incorporated into the Earl Street entrance.

Its soft launch began with House of Fraser, opened by actress Amanda Holden, and today all but three units are filled.

Centre manager Lloyd Wright, who joined six months before the opening, said: “It is a really attractive centre and it is a great place to be. We have a great team, a great security team and cleaning team and we have won awards for customer service, and it’s things like that that make it the centre it is now. We want to continue to drive it forward.”

Today managers, staff and customers celebrated with bubbly and 3,652 cupcakes - one for every day the centre has been open - and music from kmfm’s Tony Shepherd.

The centre has changed hands four times, with current owners M&G Real Estate taking over in November.

Scott Linard, director of asset management, said they were always on the lookout for retailers which would fit with the current offer. “Fashion is the key drive of the centre but we always want to mix it with every day users.”