Another business has shut in a town shopping centre and “change is needed to reverse the pattern of closures”, says a senior councillor.
Iris Hair and Beauty salon has closed after the landlords of the Royal Star Arcade in Maidstone engaged bailiffs to recover the lease.
It locked the doors, with much of the business’s stock and equipment still inside.
The 970 sq ft floor space property is now being advertised to let on the PropertyLink website for a rent of £35,000 per annum.
The latest closure comes not long after traders, including Richy Williams, who runs Pad Thai and The Beach Bar restaurant in the Royal Star Arcade, were feeling more positive.
Richy told us last month that business was booming and there were new shops on the horizon.
But with the number of empty units in the Royal Star now reaching 12 out of 28, and vacant stores in The Mall shopping centre nearby, it seems the tide has not yet turned for retail in the town centre.
And that is despite the successful opening of B&M in The Mall at the start of the month, in the unit previously occupied by Wilko, which attracted large crowds on its first day.
Cllr Stephen Thompson (Green) is the cabinet member for Healthier Stronger Communities in the newly-formed Maidstone council.
He said: “Change is certainly needed to reverse the pattern over the last three years of closures and turnover of new businesses in our town centre.
“We (the council) think that the best way forward for Maidstone is to develop an overarching strategy that prioritises local shops over chains and the like, and that maximises the benefit of a mixed and diverse High Street.
“I was invited to cut the ribbon to ‘open’ the Bisi Beauty store in the Royal Star Arcade last year.
“Small businesses like this thrive on the basis of local networking and recommendation, and we will do what we can to encourage more of this.
“But the departure of big stores (like Next and M&S) to the Junction 8 shopping area has reduced the incentive to visit Week Street and The Mall.
“This underlines the importance of a holistic Local Plan that caters for both rural and town centre enrichment.”
Cllr Thompson added: “My planning colleague, Cllr Tony Harwood (Lib Dem), is already working on changes to local planning rules to tackle the haemorrhaging of big-name stores to out-of-town locations and reverse the trend of retail sites being redeveloped for high-density residential blocks.
“Then there’s the even larger challenge of ensuring that there is more food and other products supplied locally, so that our communities become more sustainable and resilient as the climate crisis disrupts our food supply.”
New arrivals are expected at The Mall in the near future.
A spokesman for The Mall said: “We’ve introduced a range of exciting new brands to The Mall recently including Bodycare, B&M, The Real Eating Company, Rey Mia and independent ladieswear Ginala.
“We’ve worked hard to make The Mall as appealing for our guests and retailers as possible, and that work has really made a difference.
“While we currently have seven vacant units, we have terms agreed for two further retailers to open in June and are close to agreeing terms with a further two to open later in the summer.”
The management of the Royal Star Arcade did not respond to a request for comment.