A popular bed shop is shutting after three decades in east Kent - and is set to hold a massive closing-down sale.

More than £650,000 worth of stock is set to be shifted at discount prices, as Canterbury Beds prepares to go out with a bang.

The store has been a stalwart of Canterbury's Wincheap Industrial Estate since 1998, but is closing down as owner Lenny Crow is planning to retire.

Its giant five-day sale will begin next Thursday, with some items up to 80% off.

Mr Crow said: "We need to clear all our stock.

"We've got massive amounts of stock at the moment, so the aim is to clear as quickly and tidily as we can over the next few weeks.

"Our 'five great sale days' begin on April 29, then we'll be closed the day after Bank Holiday Monday to redistribute more stock from our warehouse.

"Then we'll resume that week, until it's all gone. We're here until its gone."

Mr Crow says plenty of deals will be up for grabs, including reduced-price beds, mattresses and headboards.

"We have top-grade headboards that sell for anything up to £600 or more, and they're going to be £50 each," he said. "I've got two leather king-size ottomans reduced from about £1,200 to £599."

Mr Crow, who turns 70 this year, said: "I've basically been in furniture all of my life."

Having started out as a salesman at the old Tesco furniture store in Herne Bay High Street in his early 20s, Mr Crow soon found he had a knack for the business.

Aged 34, he launched his own store - then called The Lounge Suite and Bedding Centre - in Margate, where the town's Jobcentre now sits.

"We have a solid base of customers. I'd like to thank them..."

In 1995, he relocated the store to Canterbury under the new name Canterbury Beds.

After after three years in the city centre, it moved to a unit on the Wincheap Industrial Estate in 1998, where it has remained since.

With the rise of internet shopping, the retail sector has changed greatly over the decades in which Canterbury Beds has traded.

But Mr Crow says his loyal customer base has kept business running nicely, and "many thousands" of beds have been sold there over the years.

"I think there's still a lot of people out there who'd rather come into our shop," he said.

"I get a lot of people coming in the shop complaining about foam mattresses they've bought online not being what they thought they'd be, whereas in the shop you can try it before you buy it.

"You've got around 100 different beds and mattresses to choose from, and can try as many as you like until you find what you're looking for.

"Lots of shops I've known in this business haven't survived. But we have a solid base of customers that have supported us.

"I don't think we've had to actually advertise for the last 10 or more years - it hasn't been necessary.

"I'd love to thank them for their support. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to carry on for so long."

Mr Crow also thanks his wife and co-director of Canterbury Beds, Sally, who has helped him run the business over the years, along with just three other members of staff.

"Without her support it would have been a difficult job to do on my own," he said. "She's been great."

Mr Crow says he is sorry to retire, but now is the right time.

"It's heartbreaking to do this, but I am 70 years old this year," he said. "The knees have gone, the back's sore and the brain isn't what it used to be.

"I'm at the wrong side of 50, and it made me think it was time to think about doing a few things off that bucket list that I haven't got around to doing."

He adds he looks forward to being able to spend more time with his two "lovely" daughters, and two grandchildren.

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