A national retailer is to shut its Sittingbourne store.

Game, inside The Forum Shopping Centre, will close for good tomorrow.

The shop, which opened in June 2005, when it was then called Gamestation, will close its doors for the final time at 5pm.

A spokesman for Game Sittingbourne said: "We're sadly closing due to lease negotiations with the landlords failing.

"We'd like to thank all our loyal customers over the years for their support.

"Looks like it's game over for us."

The closure will mean customers will have to go to Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre in Gillingham for their nearest Game store.

The Forum Shopping Centre was sold to commercial property giant Praxis for just over £7million in January.

The UK-based firm bought it from the previous owner, of 11 years, Tesco.

Speaking about the closure of Game, Praxis's managing director, Gary Roberts, said: "We were unable to come to agreement with Game and they have taken the decision to leave the town.

"It is not to our benefit to see shops closing and we will do everything within our power to retain existing and entice new retailers to the town but only so far as it is commercially viable to do so."

He added: "Since acquiring the centre, we have engaged with all of the existing retailers as well as speaking to an array of other businesses about opening up at The Forum and are working hard to deliver a long-term, sustainable mix of occupiers that will provide the necessary goods and services to the local population.

"This will not happen overnight but I am confident it will over time; the speed of transformation being highly correlated to the delivery of the surrounding regeneration."

Read more: All the latest news from Sittingbourne