A new Hobbycraft has welcomed its first customers ahead of its official opening on Saturday.

The store in Strood Retail Park had a soft opening midweek in preparation for the weekend where the first 100 customers will be given a free goody bag.

Manager James Alcock said: "It was an excellent opening and all went as planned with no issues. It was a nice busy day, far busier than expected."

The arts and craft retailer has created 18 new jobs and has on hand experts to encourage shoppers to master a new craft or refine their skills. They include a knitting and crochetings, papercraft, scrapbooking, art and sculpting experts.

James added: "We have seen more people than ever take up crafting during the pandemic and we want to encourage locals to come down to their new store and shop with us safely."

This Hobbycraft will also have a dedicated custom crafting area which introduces the digital personalisation Cricut tool to its customers to encourage them to try out products and techniques.

It is based in the former Carpetright unit which hit the headlines in 2019 when an illegal rave was held there.

The store will be open Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm, Saturday from 9am to 7pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Its grand opening will be on Saturday at 9am.

Read more: All the latest news from Medway

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