Kentish Express Ashford & District
‘We went, saw queues, went home...!’
“We have said all along that John Lewis is exactly the type of company we want to attract to the borough and I believe that when such a successful name with a strong reputation for high quality invests in your area, it demonstrates the confidence that exists in Ashford as a place to do business.
“Ashford weathered the economic downturn well and this is evidence of the exciting period that now awaits us.”
Those words from Ashford Borough Council leader Cllr Gerry Clarkson (Con) came in September 2013 just two months before the town’s £7m store opened its doors.
Nine years on, the upmarket chain has long since waved goodbye to the town but it’s worth remembering the impact it had when it first arrived.
The 40,000 sq ft shop was given planning permission back in October 2011 and after 18 months of delays, work started on the site by Drovers Roundabout in April 2013.
Project manager Gavin Smith said the hold-ups had been down to negotiations with landowners and stakeholders over the site.
Once the work was finally completed in November 2013, drivers were facing traffic chaos on the store’s opening weekend as the car park quickly filled up, with queues stretching back to the Drovers Roundabout.
“Went, saw queues, went home,” shopper Deirdre Mewse said at the time.
Bill Rose added: “Whose bright idea was it to have such a small car park?
“It was so busy that the traffic management team were sending people away because the car park was full.”
At the time, Ashford’s store was the company’s 10th John Lewis At Home site and was the same size as its sister Tunbridge Wells shop, which also closed for good last year.