Beales department store in Maidstone will close this summer, it has been announced.

The outlet store, which opened in the unit vacated by TJ Hughes in The Mall in June, will trade until June, managers have said.

In a statement, Beales, which also has a store in Tonbridge, said: "The store has achieved the business's objective in this time and we are now looking to exit the store as per the lease agreement.

"Beales board have considered a number of options to ascertain whether it was both logical and economically feasible to keep the store operating and extend the lease but have concluded that it is not in the interests of Beales to do so."