Clothing firm Urban Outfitters set to replace shoe store Deichmann at Whitefriars shopping centre in Canterbury

Clothing giant Urban Outfitters is set to open its third Kent store at a busy shopping centre.

According to planning documents, the lifestyle chain is poised to move into Whitefriars in Canterbury later this year.

While official confirmation is yet to be made, papers submitted to Canterbury City Council reveal signage for the new shop could be erected in November.

It would replace Deichmann, which currently holds the crown of being the city’s biggest shoe store since its £600,000 renovation in 2019.

It would be the third branch of the store in Kent and the first on this side of the county, with the other two being stationed at Bluewater and Tunbridge Wells.

It will mark another high-profile arrival to Whitefriars, the council’s flagship shopping centre, as it continues to enjoy a remarkable turnaround in fortunes since its controversial £155 million acquisition in 2018.

Space NK and ProCook are both set to open later this year in the former HMV unit, which has been divided into two.

Elsewhere, Oliver Bonas and Lucy and Yak have both started trading in the area in the last year, while a variety of pop-ups and small independents make use of Marlowe Arcade.

Deichmann, which is still open, has been contacted for comment.