A year after one of the high street’s biggest names quit a shopping centre, the number of customers flocking there is up.

It was a year ago today that Zara in Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, unexpectedly closed in a massive blow to the town centre during the festive period.

The Spanish fashion brand shut down the branch without warning, leaving its closest store at Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe.

But a boss of the Maidstone shopping complex says the impact of Zara closing has not been as devastating as anticipated.

Fremlin Walk manager Lloyd Wright said: “It was a loss to the centre - we were concerned.

“It was the first time they turned quite a profit before they changed their strategy to basically concentrate on the bigger footprint stores like Bluewater and Lakeside.

“We were concerned initially but we actually found quite the opposite; the typical shopper went into River Island and H&M and started spending their money there [instead] so it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was going to be.”

The unit, which was next to Suit Direct and Three, has remained empty since Zara’s departure.

Michelle Woodland is chief executive of One Maidstone, a not-for-profit organisation working to improve the town centre for both businesses and the public.

She said: “We are going to see potentially a lot more of the nationals closing next year when the rates release for business and hospitality and their rent is going to double.

“That, with the rise in National Insurance and salaries, when that comes into play I think it will be a really interesting landscape.”

Just months after Zara shut, in March, neighbouring House of Fraser closed for six months while it underwent a major refit and rebranding.

The department store reopened as Frasers on October 16 with a separate Flannels store on its lower level and a Sports Direct on the upper floor.

It also welcomed retailers including USC and Game, which was formerly in Week Street.

Lloyd said: “It’s turned the centre around since they’ve opened again.

“As we expected, footfall has gone up - we’re up five per cent year-on-year.

“Equally, we will start to get in other retailers into the units and add to what we offer.”

In October, KentOnline reported how Fremlin Walk had been sold to Frasers Group, which was founded by retail tycoon Mike Ashley.

The 350,000sq ft shopping complex was snapped up for £25 million.

At the time Michael Murray, chief executive of Frasers Group, and son-in-law Mike Ashley said: “Securing properties which serve as the primary retail destination for the community remains a top priority for us.

“Such acquisitions unlock new growth opportunities for our retail concepts while revitalising high streets and physical shopping locations up and down the country.

“At Frasers, we strive to re-invent and elevate retail for UK shoppers, bringing the very best brands, environments, and experiences to all our customers across the country.”

The takeover has been “very positive for Maidstone”, said Lloyd.

He said: “They are also retailers so they understand how they work in terms of rent, service charges and all the rest of it.

“It is going to take a while before they can implement their own strategy but already in the short time they have been here I can say we are talking to a couple of retailers which is something we weren’t in the position to do a few months ago.”