British Heart Foundation has suddenly shut its charity shop on Chatham High Street. It's believed the decision was taken due to the lease expiring. Notices have been placed on the windows and staff have been seen emptying stock from the shop this week. Estate agent Harrisons Property is now marketing the store's lease for £19,500 per annum. The listing includes the ground floor shop, a rear office and staff kitchen area, and basement storage. June Tumilty, area manager at British Heart Foundation, said: “We would like to thank our wonderful staff, volunteers, customers and donors for all their amazing support over the years.
"We would urge the local community to still bear us in mind if they are having a clear-out in the coming weeks. "While our Chatham High Street shop may be closing, you can still donate pre-loved clothes, books and accessories at our Gillingham shop or call the shop to get a free collection service or via our new freepost service." It's understood that the charity's nearby furniture and electrical store in the Pentagon Centre will remain open as usual. A number of charity shops on Chatham High Street have closed in recent years, including PDSA last May and Age UK in September 2021. Italian restaurant chain Zizzi is believed to be opening a new restaurant at Chatham Dockside. It could give a new lease of life to the former Villagio and Chimichanga units, which closed in 2021 and 2018 respectively, opposite the Dockside Outlet Centre. This would be Medway's first Zizzi restaurant. The empty restaurant units were set to become a bowling alley operated by MFA Bowl, but those plans never materialised. Landlord Schroders Real Estate Fund recently submitted a planning application for external alterations to the units, which included drawings showing Zizzi's slogan "individually Italian" on the shopfront. However, a spokesperson for Schdroders Real Estate Fund said: "Unfortunately at the moment we are unable to share any information on possible new lettings at Chatham Maritime." The possible arrival of Zizzi follows the opening of a new Costa Coffee, Kaspa's Desserts and KFC at Chatham Dockside last year.
Currently, the closest Zizzi restaurant is in Maidstone. The chain has more than 130 branches across the UK and Ireland since launching in 1999. Zizzi did not respond to a request for comment. Retail chain Suit Direct has shut its store at Chatham's Dockside Outlet Centre. The men's suit store, which was its only branch in Medway, closed last Wednesday (31 May). A notice has been placed on the store window confirming the closure. It's not known how many jobs have been affected.
Suit Direct stocks suits designed by some of the UK's leading brands, including Ted Baker and Jack & Jones, as well as casualwear and accessories. The closest branches are located at Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, and Bluewater Shopping Centre, Dartford. |
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August 2023
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