A discount retail store is to shut its doors less than three years after opening on a high street.

Bosses at Poundland say their branch in Broadstairs will close at the end of June.

The chain opened the unit when Tesco Metro moved its premises further along the high street in September 2022.

However, Poundland says it has been unable "to secure a long-term lease" which would enable the chain to continue trading at the site.

A spokesperson said: "I'm afraid we've been unable to secure a long-term lease that would enable us to keep trading and we know how disappointing this will be to customers and colleagues.

"Whenever we close a store in circumstances like these, we do all we can to look for other opportunities for colleagues and that work is now underway and we hope to be able to accommodate colleagues at nearby stores.

"We’d like to thank customers in Broadstairs for their continued support – we look forward to serving them over the next three months in Broadstairs and welcoming them after that, to our nearby stores at Westwood Cross Retail Park, Margate High Street and Ramsgate High Street."

The 4,000 sq ft store has 18 full and part-time employees on its books.

As well as offering groceries, home accessories and toys, it also sells its Pepco clothing range for men, women and kids at the unit next to Iceland.

Poundland was founded in 1990 and has its headquarters in Walsall in the West Midlands.

In 2015, it added rival 99p Stores to its ranks while a year later Steinhoff International acquired the brand for £610 million before turning it into Pepco Group.

However, the latter announced it was considering putting the chain’s 825 stores up for sale amid April’s increased National Insurance hike.

It came after sales were found to be down this January and February.