From luxury hotels to famous brands, exciting new arrivals are on the way across Kent over the coming years.
Here we set out some of the big names looking to invest near you…
Tunbridge Wells
A luxury hotel company is planning to launch its second Kent venue at a Grade I-listed manor near Tunbridge Wells.
The Pig announced last year that it is coming to Groombridge Place.
Named The Pig at Groombridge, the new hotel is set to have more than 40 bedrooms, all with views across the property’s moat, gardens and vineyard.
In 2019, The Pig at Bridge, near Canterbury, was a regional winner for Best Place to Stay in The Sunday Times and last November was ranked number four in the top 50 boutique hotels in the UK.
The Tunbridge Wells site is set to open in 2025, subject to approvals.
Canterbury
A “neglected” high street building in Canterbury once home to Burton and Dorothy Perkins could be transformed into a restaurant loved by the rich and famous.
Bosses of The Ivy – renowned for attracting celebrities such as Kate Moss, David Beckham and Tom Cruise to its London venues – plan to transform the whole site, situated on the corner of Rose Lane and The Parade, into a high-end restaurant.
The ground floor will host the bulk of the proposed 140 interior seats along with 32 al-fresco covers on both The Parade and Rose Lane, with the kitchen and a private dining room on the first floor.
The new venue has now also obtained permission from Canterbury City Council to open from 8am to 12.30 am seven days a week, with alcohol served from 10am to midnight.
Swale
Swale is set to welcome a number of shops and restaurants.
Work on a new multi-million pound Aldi in Queenborough, Sheppey, is nearing completion but its opening date has been delayed.
Plans for the supermarket were given the green light by Swale council’s planning committee in December 2022.
The discount giant is spending £9 million on building a branch at Neats Court and construction work started last year.
The German company revealed last autumn the store would be open this April – but this has been delayed.
Also coming to the Isle of Sheppey, Screwfix is set to open a new store later this year.
Elsewhere in the district, a Burger King franchise has been earmarked to open at a petrol station.
Plans for the fast food giant to move into a new building are part of a larger revamp of the BP in St Paul’s Street near Sittingbourne Retail Park.
Ashford
A fourth McDonald’s is set to be heading to Ashford after the controversial plans were approved in April – despite concerns over increased traffic on one of the town’s busiest roundabouts.
The new drive-thru restaurant will be built along Chart Road next to the notoriously congested ‘tank roundabout’ and will be accessed from Bridge Road.
It will join the town’s three other restaurants in Eureka Park, the high street and Orbital Park – the latter being the company’s busiest drive-thru in Europe.
It is not yet known when the restaurant will be open to the public, but diggers and materials have been spotted at the site.
Dover
Dover is getting closer to opening its fourth Costa coffee shop.
Land has been cleared and warehouse buildings have been demolished to make way for the new branch on the A20, Snargate Street.
Planning permission is already in place for the new venue and it is expected to open towards the end of the year.
The other Costa shops are in the town centre in Biggin Street, a unit of its own in St James’ Retail and Leisure Park with another also at that location inside the Next clothes and homeware store.
As well as this, The Roman Painted House in New Street is set to reopen in the town after £70,000 was put forward for repairs.
The historic monument, which is more than 1,824 years old, has been closed since September 2022.
Folkestone and Hythe
Yet more development is coming to the thriving town of Folkestone, with an Aldi supermarket and two drive-thru restaurants set to be built on the site of a former drinks factory.
Reworked plans have been approved to transform the 11-acre former Silver Spring Mineral Water Company site on Park Farm Industrial Estate in the town.
Landowner Channex Project Management Ltd, which acquired the plot from previous developers Ravensbourne Investments, changed the plans in 2022 to include a mix of retail, food and business units.
The developers have now made further tweaks and the plans were approved by Folkestone & Hythe District Council (FHDC) last month.
A historic landmark is also set to reopen in the town as the Leas Lift undergoes major refurbishment.
Built in 1885, the funicular lift carried passengers between the promenade and the seafront for more than 100 years.
The attraction was forced to shut down seven years ago because of problems with its braking system.
It is now set to reopen in 2025 after the £6.6 million refurbishment takes place.
Thanet
A £3.5 million new ‘family entertainment centre’ is coming to Thanet this summer at a major shopping complex.
Work on the Hollywood Bowl site at the Westwood Cross shopping centre is continuing and will deliver 22 ten-pin bowling lanes, amusements – including Mario Kart and air hockey – and an American-style bar and diner.
The Broadstairs site, housed in the former Debenhams store, will also feature four “luxurious VIP lanes” for bowling fans.
Originally due to open in the autumn of 2023, its opening was delayed, but bosses now say it will open “towards the beginning of August”.
Also at the Westwood Cross shopping centre, a trampoline and inflatables park is set to open this year.
Jump Inc. will too be bringing its latest location inside the former Debenhams unit.
The site will be the company’s first Kent branch, with the company claiming it will be the biggest of the kind in the UK.
The exact date of the opening is not yet known.
Dartford
In Dartford, construction has now started on a multimillion-pound recreation ground.
Stone Recreation Ground in London Road is to be transformed with a £4.3m makeover.
The new-look-park will see upgrades including a new, larger cafe, an outdoor performance area and enhanced landscaping.
Funding for the project comes from the parish council, which has committed £650,000 upfront and is contributing a further £1.25m from future Community Infrastructure Levy receipts, while Dartford council is paying £2.55 million.
It is expected to be open to the public by Spring, 2025.
Maidstone
Costa Coffee lovers will soon be able to pick up their favourite beverage from a new drive-thru in Maidstone.
Gallagher Properties Limited won permission to build a drive-thru Costa Coffee at the Eclipse Park estate, near M&S last month.
Elsewhere in the town, WH Smith has announced the return of another Toys R Us store.
The high street retailer has unveiled the next 17 branches the toy shop will launch within over the summer – including Maidstone.
Tonbridge and Malling
A Sainsbury’s is in line for a £20 million expansion into what used to be a department store in Tonbridge.
The supermarket at the Angel Centre is to be extended and will fill what was Beales, which has been empty since 2020.
Work on the expansion is to start as soon as possible and it is estimated it will be completed by the end of 2025.
Another supermarket coming to Tonbridge High Street is a new Morrisons store.
The Morrisons Daily will take up the ground floor retail space of The Nave development.
The 2,900 sq ft shop will represent a return to use as a grocer’s for the building, which originally opened as the International Stores in the 1970s.
It is not yet known when this will be open.
Gravesham
One of Gravesham’s biggest new attractions is Hatch Markets.
Street food vendors, bars, games and entertainment are all part of the operator’s revival of the historic market in Gravesend.
Owner Jamie Clark previously said they hope to attract a variety of street food vendors and shops such as a deli, bakery or one selling wine or craft beer.
The current food traders were also kept on.
Hatch Markets opened to the public late last month.
Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks seems to be the exception to the rule, with no new big-name shops set to arrive in the borough in the near future.
A spokesperson for Sevenoaks Borough Council said: “We don’t have any firm information about new retailers or restaurants coming to Sevenoaks in the short and medium term.
“This is in part because we have amongst the lowest number of empty units anywhere in the country.”