A vacant superstore which has stood empty for more than two years is to be taken on by a national chain.

MKM Building Supplies will soon be opening its doors in the former Homebase unit on Canterbury's Wincheap Industrial Estate.

The forthcoming launch - set to be in late September - has been welcomed by the city council as it prepares to benefit from "very useful" income.

The authority purchased the large unit for £3.5 million in 2013 and has lost hundreds of thousands in potential rent while it has stood idle.

But now it is set to at last be occupied.

MKM - based in Hull - is the UK's largest independent builders' merchant and has more than 80 branches across the country.

Bosses say the new store in Cow Lane will be a "state-of-the-art facility providing a one-stop-shop for all building products".

A statement from the firm reads: "The company’s aim is to provide an experience and service that customers wouldn’t have experienced before in Canterbury, making MKM the premier destination for building and construction professionals in the area, avid DIYers and the general public undertaking projects on their homes."

Competitions are set to be run in the lead up to the autumn opening, and work reconfiguring the car park is currently ongoing.

Diggers have ripped up a section of the site ahead of resurfacing works.

Council spokesman Rob Davies says the authority is pleased to have nailed down a tenant.

"We are of course pleased that this shop will be back in use in the next couple of months, providing a boost to the economy, jobs for local residents and very useful income to the council at a time when our budgets are stretched," he said.

"We were always confident that it would attract a new tenant given its prime location and we wish MKM the best of luck with their opening and future trading."

Last year, Wickes was planning on moving into the site but pulled out of negotiations after its plans to chop down mature trees were refused by the council.

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