Supermarket chain Lidl has confirmed its new store in the middle of a town centre will open this week.

The German brand has announced the branch in St Peter's Street, Maidstone, will launch on Thursday relocating from a former shopping centre up the road.

At the end of August, construction could be heard coming from inside the building and a new sign went up showing the store would be coming soon.

The new supermarket is sharing a site with DIY store Wickes, splitting the building and car park between the two companies.

It will replace Lidl’s existing unit in the Broadway Shopping Centre, which is just 528 yards down the road.

The old branch will shut permanently at 6pm tomorrow.

Its closure, however, raises questions over the future of the once-busy shopping centre.

Lidl is the third store to move out of the centre, with shopping retailer Matalan re-locating to The Mall in September 2020.

On opening day, customers will be able to find exclusive deals and offers on­­ selected products including a bread machine for £24.99 and Sanitas mani/pedicure set for £6.99.

The supermarket also promises to offer an improved shopping experience for customers in-store, including new toilets with baby changing facilities.

Lidl's regional head of property, Adam Forsdick, said: “It is fantastic that we are able to open our doors and welcome everyone into our new store in Maidstone.

"We are delighted to be able to improve our offering and deliver even more of our high quality and affordable produce to the local community.

"We would like to thank all those who have played a part in delivering this new store and now look forward to welcoming everyone through the doors.”

The store's opening times will be between 8am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 4pm on Sunday.