A retail giant will be closing a high street branch next week.

Signs have gone up outside Argos in Chatham to announce the store will shut on Wednesday, January 26.

Ward councillor Vince Maple said it was sad news.

He tweeted: "Sad to see another long standing store going from Chatham High Street with Argos closing later this month.

"Sadly not all staff are being redeployed, best of luck to all those impacted by this closure during these challenging times."

It is not known how many staff members the store employs.

The retailer, which is owned by Sainsbury's, closed its Hempstead Valley branch last year. It moved inside the refurbished Sainsbury's superstore at the Gillingham shopping centre.

An Argos spokesman said: "“Our Chatham Argos store will close next week and colleagues were offered opportunities to redeploy to alternative roles within Sainsbury’s.

"Customers can continue to shop with us at our nearby stores, including via a new Argos Click and Collect point at the nearby Sainsbury’s Chatham supermarket and at our Argos Strood store."