Smyths Toys gets ready to move to new Westwood store

The new Westwood store opens on February 15 Photo John Horton

Smyths Toys at Westwood, will close its current store on February 10 and reopen at its new site alongside Matalan on February 15.

The toy superstore is currently at The Link Retail Park but is getting ready to make the move to neighbouring Westwood Retail Park.

In January last year Thanet council granted permission for the Matalan unit to be split in two, allowing the clothing and homeware store to downsize.

Matalan will continue to trade from the reduced space.

Park owners CD10 Properties Limited said: “The unit no longer meets Matalan’s business model requirements and the application proposals allow Matalan to downsize into a smaller unit (unit 8a) to be created through subdivision.

“A smaller unit (Unit 8b) will be in the ground floor area to be vacated by Matalan and will have a 1,393sqm gross internal ground floor area and a new mezzanine of 503sqm is proposed within this unit.”

Smyths has 80 UK stores and had an uplift in UK profits of 19 per cent from £334 million to £396.49 million by year-end of 2016.