A second charity shop is set to open in an out-of-town shopping centre.

The British Heart Foundation is finalising details to take over a unit at Hempstead Valley in Gillingham next spring.

It is expected to sell second-hand and vintage clothing, shoes, bags, toys, books and household items.

BHF currently has three stores in Medway, located in Gillingham High Street, Chatham High Street and the Pentagon Centre, Chatham.

It also runs a clothes bank in Cuxton Road, Strood.

BHF is the UK’s leading heart research charity, funding vital research to improve the lives of the 7.4 million people affected by heart and circulatory disease across the country.

A year ago Demelza went into the centre, the first charity to do so since it opened in 1978.

The demise of the high street and the rise of online shopping prompted the move by the retail team at Demelza Hospice Care for Children, which is based at Bobbing, near Sittingbourne.

The charity has 27 shops across Kent, east Sussex and south east London.

Demelza provides specialist care and emotional support for children with serious or terminal conditions, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge. Some 88% of the funds needed to run the services comes from supporters, with retail sales from their shops forming a huge chunk of income.

Last month, bakery chain Greggs opened in the former Carphone Warehouse in Hempstead Valley, opposite Poundland.

In the summer, Bakers+Barista, a coffee shop and bakery, moved from the main mall into the empty Argos unit at one of the main entrances.

Known more commonly as BBs, it took over a unit after a major facelift after first opening at Hempstead 10 years ago.