Department store John Lewis has announced its Tunbridge Wells branch will reopen next week.

The shop is one of nine nationwide which will welcome back customers from Thursday after the successful reopening of 13 other branches this week.

Shoppers will be welcomed by "hosts" who will manage numbers inside the store and ensure social distancing is maintained in busy areas.

John Lewis customer service director Bérangère Michel said: "The overwhelmingly positive feedback from both customers and Partners on our first 13 department store reopenings this week has given us confidence to open in more locations across the UK.

"We are still reopening our shops carefully and in phases to ensure that our safety measures are absolutely right, and remain prepared to stop and review our plans if need be."

"We've learned how crucial our newly created host roles - which help customers adapt to the new social distancing measures and new ways of shopping - are in ensuring customers have an enjoyable experience."

The chain's Bluewater outlet was among the first stores to reopen. However the branch in Ashford remains closed until further notice.

Although some facilities may not be available, customers will still be able to touch items, lie on beds, and try on and test wipeable products such as sunglasses, prams and tech gadgets.

Measures put in place to allow safe reopening include a reduction in the number of shop entrances and exits, as well as caps on the number of customers entering stores at any one time.

Close-contact beauty services will not be offered, and customer catering outlets and fitting rooms will remain closed until further notice.

The company says it hopes to be able to announce further store reopenings in the coming weeks.

Read more: All the latest news from Tunbridge Wells