A jewellery shop that has been in Sittingbourne High Street for more than 18 years is closing next month.

H Samuel, opposite The Methodist Church, will shut on Thursday, January 3.

It is owned by Signet Jewelers, which also owns the Ernest Jones jewellery brand.

There are around 290 H Samuel stores in the UK.

Confirming the Sittingbourne closure, a company spokesman said: “We continually re-assess our portfolio of stores on a store-by-store basis, particularly when individual store leases come up for renewal.

“This particular closure bears no reflection upon the future plans of the Signet business estate overall within the UK.”

The company declined to comment further on its decision to close the Sittingbourne shop.

It is just eight months after the jewellery chain closed its store in Sheerness High Street.

Now, the nearest branches are 11 miles away at Hempstead Valley and 15 miles away in Chatham, although the company says it has a "wide online offering".

Daren Blackbourn, owner of nearby Blackbourn TV, said: “It’s a shame to see another store going and it’s an awful thing to hear, mainly for the staff right on top of Christmas.

“I spoke to one of the employees who’s been there about 20 years and she was very upset.”

Mr Blackbourn added: “We’ve been here about 18 years and H Samuel was there before we were. It’s sad.”

In its report for the third quarter of the year, Signet Jewelers revealed its UK operation saw same-store sales slide by 3.1%, with H Samuel posting a decrease of 3.5%.

The report showed that higher sales in prestige watches were offset by lower sales in diamond jewellery and fashion watches.