Hobbycraft has revealed its latest Kent store will open next month.

The craft store chain is moving in to the former Carpetright unit at Strood Retail Park, near Rochester.

A grand opening will be held to celebrate the company's first outlet in Medway with the first 100 shoppers getting a free goody bag.

The shop will open its doors on October 6, with the event happening three days later on Saturday, October 9 from 9am.

Hobbycraft, the UK's largest arts and crafts retailer which stocks more than 25,000 items, says the lockdowns since the start of the pandemic has seen a resurgence in people making things and a survey carried out by the retailer found 95% of customers had been crafting during lockdown.

The most popular activities were tie dye, diamond painting and paint by numbers.

The new store in Medway at the retail park of Commercial Road, which was confirmed in April, will create 18 new jobs and applications for roles are now open.

Store manager James Alcock said: "After a tough year for many, we are really looking forward to opening the doors to our Rochester store and sharing our passion for arts and crafts with the local community.

"We have seen more people than ever take up crafting during the Covid-19 pandemic and we want to encourage locals to come down to their new store and shop with us safely.

"We look forward to providing Rochester customers with the ultimate retail experience, combined with fantastic crafting products at great prices.”

Social distancing, sanitising stations and check-out screens and staff PPE – visors, masks and gloves – along with enhanced cleaning programmes will all feature in the new store.

Once open the store will be open from Monday-Friday 9am to 8pm, Saturdays 9am to 7pm and Sundays 10am to 4pm.

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