A year after one of the high street’s biggest names quit a shopping centre, the number of customers flocking there is up. It was a year ago today that Zara in Fremlin Walk, Maidstone, unexpectedly closed in a massive blow to the town centre during the festive period. The Spanish fashion brand shut down the branch without warning, leaving its closest store at Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe.
But a boss of the Maidstone shopping complex says the impact of Zara closing has not been as devastating as anticipated. Fremlin Walk manager Lloyd Wright said: “It was a loss to the centre - we were concerned. “It was the first time they turned quite a profit before they changed their strategy to basically concentrate on the bigger footprint stores like Bluewater and Lakeside.
“We were concerned initially but we actually found quite the opposite; the typical shopper went into River Island and H&M and started spending their money there [instead] so it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was going to be.” The unit, which was next to Suit Direct and Three, has remained empty since Zara’s departure. Michelle Woodland is chief executive of One Maidstone, a not-for-profit organisation working to improve the town centre for both businesses and the public.
She said: “We are going to see potentially a lot more of the nationals closing next year when the rates release for business and hospitality and their rent is going to double. “That, with the rise in National Insurance and .
