Shoe manufacturer and retailer Clarks has confirmed it is closing one of its stores at a shopping centre.

The footwear shop confirmed it would be leaving Hempstead Shopping Centre in Gillingham by the end of October.

A Clarks spokesman said: “Clarks confirms its store at Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, Gillingham, will close at the end of October 2022.

"We have a strong duty of care to all our employees, and we are working closely with the store team as they now go through a period of consultation.

"Customers can continue to shop from our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Chatham and Maidstone.”

The other Clarks stores which remain in Kent include Gravesend, Bluewater and Chatham Dockside.

Customers reported seeing a sign posted to the doors of the shop front notifying of its closure.

In 2020, the company said it would not reopen some 12 of its branches in Kent following the first lockdown during the pandemic.