The opening date for a new sportswear chain at a Kent retail park has been revealed – while a mobile chain has made a surprise exit.

JD Sports will be opening at St James’ leisure and retail park in Dover next month, having gained planning permission to transform an empty unit.

The company submitted a planning application to Dover District Council to install a mezzanine floor at the vacant shop, which is sandwiched between Next and Shoezone.

The approved application will see the existing gross internal floorspace increase from 423 sq m (4,553 sq ft) to 658 sq m (7,083 sq ft).

Work is now well underway, with JD Sport branding now plastered on the glass and entranceway of the unit.

Bosses at St James’ have now confirmed in a post on Facebook that the store is opening on Friday, November 24.

JD Sports has been gradually increasing its presence in Kent, already having a total nine branches so far.

In the east of the county one is at Bouverie Shopping Centre, in Folkestone, which opened in 2019, and another in County Square in Ashford. That opened in 2017.

Two others are at Whitefriars in Canterbury, and Westwood Cross Centre in Thanet.

In the west of the county there are two in Medway and one each in Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells and at Bluewater.

St James’ is also home to Cineworld, Travelodge, M&S Foodhall, Costa, Iceland, Taco Bell, Greggs, a gym and more – however it has lost one big name after O2 shut down its store last week.

The mobile chain, which is understood to have been undertaking a review of all its shops across the country, is not thought to have announced its exit publicly ahead of time.

Passersby were only made aware of the impending closure when they saw staff packing up the shop last Wednesday evening (October 18).

One shopper said staff had informed her they had been instructed by “head office” not to put any notice of the closure in the window.

The nearest O2 stores to the Dover district now are in Folkestone’s Sandgate Road, 6.7 miles away or in Canterbury high street, 14 miles away.