THE site of a former Maplin store is set to be filled by "the king of desserts" after lying empty for two years.

Kaspas Desserts will move into the site in London Road, Brighton, following a "major renovation" of the site.

Maplin served its final customer in Brighton in 2018, with the electronics chain collapsing into administration and closing all of its UK stores.

After the Brighton store shut, building owners Reefsouth Limited, a property investment company, redeveloped the upper parts into residential accommodation and created a new ground floor retail unit of 2,600 sq ft of virtual open plan trading area.

Kaspas will now move into the site, with the aim of "offering the world's favourite hot and cold desserts under one roof" and "creating an environment where enjoying authentic desserts with family, friends and loved ones is an unforgettable experience".

The company "will now undertake a major renovation of the space to create an exclusive dining experience" before opening.

Robert Hales, a representative for Kaspas, said: "Despite the pandemic we have continued our cautious expansion and, on the south coast alone, we have recently opened stores at Poole, Horsham and Fareham, with a further opening soon at Southampton.

"We are delighted to have secured a strong site in Brighton having been looking for several years for the right site."

The deal was brokered by Brighton property consultancy Graves Jenkins.

Letting agent Phil Graves said: "Despite the Covid world we are now experiencing, we received (plenty of) interest in this unit and managed to achieve the full asking rent.

"Major high street retail is obviously suffering at the moment, but there seems to be a constant demand for good secondary outlets, and I can see certain areas of the city continuing a resurgence of activity once lockdown restrictions recede."

Graves Jenkins said it was seeking £40,000pa based on a new long-term lease for the premises.