Matalan has re-located its store in Maidstone.

The company has moved into The Mall shopping centre, occupying part of a unit previously let to British Home Stores.

The new 17,448 sq ft store replaces the branch at The Broadway Shopping Centre, which closed two weeks earlier on September 6.

The new branch, which opened on Saturday, sells women's, men's and children's wear, plus home-furnishing goods.

Capital and Regional, the property company that owns The Mall, has now re-let all the space left vacant when BHS closed its store in August 2016 after going into liquidation.

The firm is also looking forward to the opening of a branch of PureGym in the centre. The gym operator is due to start fitting out its new facility in November.

Gareth Holland, leasing executive at Capital and Regional, described Matalan as "the perfect fit" for The Mall and praised the company for preparing the store and opening on time despite the difficulties of fitting out with Covid 19 regulations in force.

Mr Holland said: "We’re also incredibly proud as a business to have the retailer’s only new store opening this year at one of our centres.”

Antony Darbyshire, for Matalan, said the company would be better able to serve customers from the more central location in the town.

He said: "We’re delighted with our major new Maidstone store, and impressed that we’ve been able to open on time – it’s been a great team effort across the board."

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