Once bustling with big-name chains, Ashford’s Park Mall shopping centre has become – quite literally – a shell of its former self.
One disgruntled trader went as far to say the site “died” last week following the departure of Poundstretcher, which had occupied a unit previously home to New Look.
Ashford’s former Poundstretcher unit in Park Mall shopping centre was once home to New Look, but now sits empty
“No one will bother to come here now,” they said as staff cleared stock from the unit, leaving just empty shelves behind.
Six months have passed since owner Ashford Borough Council (ABC) confirmed plans to flatten the mall to make way for an interim car park, and then a residential scheme in later years.
The announcement in February was met with fury by traders, who were initially given until just the end of August to leave.
That was extended to January 9 following a huge backlash, but many businesses are yet to confirm their future plans.
Twenty-seven were based in the centre when ABC made its announcement, but now only 20 remain.
Park Mall – which has been owned by Ashford Borough Council since 2015 – is to be demolished in early 2026
One of those – print shop Kall Kwik – has been based in the centre since it opened in September 1987, occupying a unit next to the town’s First World War tank.
Owner Kate Edwards says she is keen to stay in Ashford, but says ABC’s statement took her by surprise.
“My reaction was how did we not hear about this sooner? It was just kept so quiet,” the 44-year-old said.
“We knew something could happen, but units were let out to people in December so we all thought we had a while yet.
“But then, bang, just two months later we were all told to go, so both the decision then and communication was a shock.”
Kate Edwards of Kall Kwik is keen to stay in AshfordPark Mall shopping centre, its car park, and the neighbouring Edinburgh Road multi-storey are all due to be demolished
Ms Edwards, who lives in Godinton, says she is still “looking for the right place”.
“We need vehicle access for our deliveries and many town centre units just don’t have that,” she said.
“The rent is as much as three times in some places anyway.
“People need to be near for collecting heavy printers so our only option at the moment is moving to an industrial estate.
“If we lost a bit of business at least an industrial estate will be cheaper, but either way it’s not really good.
Kall Kwik was one of Park Mall’s original stores
“We just need to be in Ashford – our customer base is largely here and if we move away we’ll lose that.”
A number of businesses have already set up elsewhere in the town, including beauty salon Divine, which has moved to County Square, joining fellow former Park Mall tenant East Kent Mobility.
Owner Rita Bhandari, 40, says the switch is working well.
“We’ve been here about two weeks and it’s going much better than we hoped,” she said.
“Everything happens for a reason and we are seeing more people come here.
“We have always been blessed with regular customers, but now new ones are coming in.
Rita Bhandari, left, pictured with sister Shamim, at Divine’s new home in County Square after 15 years at Park MallDivine is now at County Square
“It was a really good first week for us, but now we will have to see over the next couple of months how things go.”
The Little Teapot – which had been based next to Poundstretcher since 2016 – has also moved on, and is now operating from a smaller premises in Bank Street.
Meanwhile, art centre The Craftship has switched to Coachworks at Dover Place, while its sister site Made in Ashford is also due to move.
Melissa Dawkins – who runs both operations – says she is “pretty close” to signing a new lease elsewhere for the gift shop.
“We’re looking for it to happen and have almost secured another town centre location for the Made in Ashford shop,” she said.
The Craftship opened at Coachworks in MayThe Craftship now runs art classes at Coachworks, Dover Place
“The Craftship has also been at Coachworks and we’ve been up and running since May.
“It’s going really well and we never had to stop really.”
KentOnline contacted national retailers, Savers and Warhammer, about whether they intend to continue trading in Ashford, but did not receive a response.
Both chains are still currently operating in the centre, as is wedding shop WED2B, which has been linked to County Square.
Tattoo parlour, TAT 2 LTD, is set to replace the former Billy’s Pie and Mash premises in North Street, while boss of The Record Store, Vince Monticelli, says he is hoping to move to Bank Street in the coming months.
But Dr Martine Rukengwa – who ran The Ashford Hub in Park Mall until last week – says he is yet to find a new home for his business.
Dr Martine Rukengwa of The Ashford Hub, which was based in the former Boots hearing shopThe Ashford Hub shut its doors last week
“We offer a range of services such as helping people with physical and mental wellbeing and IT skills,” he said.
“People came here to have a coffee and chat, but they are not going to be able to do that for the time being while we work remotely.
“We’re looking for a new space but we haven’t found anything yet as it’s been difficult, so we’re going to try and keep having some viewings.
“There are about 12 people who work here, so what is happening is very sad.”
Beata Krakowiak, owner of Sowa Polish Shop, says she is in a similar position.
“The old KFC unit in the Lower High Street is on the market but it’s £42,500 per year, so plus VAT and business rates it’s like £60,000 which is crazy,” the 39-year-old said.
Sowa Polish Shop is yet to find a new site in AshfordTAT 2 LTD is due to move from Park Mall to the former Billy’s Pie and Mash unit in North Street later this year
“It’s hard to find anything nearby as places are a really high price.
”We’re still looking but nothing is happening for us yet.”
The team behind the centre’s One You unit – which offers weight loss advice among other services – say they are also in the process of finding a new site.
The service is run by Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, Kent County Council and ABC.
“We know how much this service means to the Ashford community and we’re committed to keeping it in the town centre,” said team lead Beverley Crossland.
“As we prepare to leave Park Mall towards the end of the year, we’ll continue to offer services in the existing shop and we’re working hard to finalise a new location and hope to be able to share more details soon.”
One You has been based in Park Mall since 2017
ABC, which is run by an Ashford Independents/Green Party coalition, has long held ambitions to flatten Park Mall, blaming a declining retail sector, the loss of anchor tenants such as Wilko and escalating maintenance costs.
Council papers show how the authority – which has owned the site since 2015 – maintains “Park Mall is not financially sustainable”.
It will replace the mall with an interim car park but is planning a “residential-led, mixed-use development” on the site, which bosses say has annual losses of £700,000.
In July, a last-ditch effort to save the centre – backed by actor Tom Burke – was blocked by ABC.
Poundstretcher closed on August 2 – almost three weeks before it was expected to shut on August 23. KentOnline understands the chain has no plans to reopen in Ashford
A petition with 3,500 signatures opposed flattening all of the site, which was previously home to KentOnline’s sister title the Kentish Express before it moved to the BizSpace building on Eureka Business Park in Kennington in January.
ABC said its members “acknowledged the strength of feeling” of campaigners, but agreed to press on with its redevelopment plans “so it can play an important part in the wider regeneration of the town centre”.
Demolition is expected to get underway early next year, and will include the neighbouring Edinburgh Road multi-storey car park.
O2, Greggs and Kamsons Pharmacy – which all face onto Upper High Street – will remain.
The chains all have “longer term leases”, according to ABC.