Another retail giant is moving out of Hanley this weekend after more than 20 years in the city centre.

TK Maxx was previously located at the Potteries Shopping Centre, before reopening in Market Square, but its next move will take it to Festival Park later this month.

A sign at the Market Square branch stated: "We are moving to Festival Retail Park at 10am on 13 August. This store is closing on 9 August."

On Tuesday (4 July), the area of floorspace covered by stock and shelves had shrunk considerably, with the ground floor homewares moved upstairs. But there were still many customers browsing for bargains, and even some Halloween cushions for sale ahead of the autumn season.

City centre visitors and traders reflected on the end of an era in the city centre. TK Maxx is just the latest big name retailer to leave Hanley, following the likes of Next and M&S in recent years.

Niall Evans said: "I know it's moving to Festival Park but I think it's a shame. A lot of large shops seem to be going that way."

Lisa Jackson said: "It's becoming dead, with everything going. Iceland shut down and there isn't anywhere you can just go and get bits of food.

"It's alright if you've got a car, but the bus route isn't very good. We can't get a bus to Festival Park from where we live."

Cynthia Jackson said: "Everything is just going away. It's becoming a waste of time coming up here."

Amber Davis said: "It's going to be dead up here, there's going to be nothing left. It's a bad loss for the city centre, but everything seems to move down Festival Park way – I think it's the place to be now."

Mitch Hughes, who runs Vellichor Books in Piccadilly, said: "I think it is sad because it will affect Hanley, with being such a big unit. It's great to walk to for clothes as it's got a bit of everything and the homeware section is great.

"Smaller independent shops are the way forward with High Streets. People want to shop, but more locally."

Eddie Skelson, who runs The Hobby Wizards market stall, highlighted the impact of staff and energy costs, as well as business rates, for retailers occupying larger city centre stores. He said there was still hope for the city however, if different approaches were taken.

He said: "It isn't the end of Hanley, but it is a nail in the coffin. I think in places like Stoke-on-Trent, these larger buildings need to be reduced into smaller spaces for entrepreneurs.

"What people are losing here, in my mind, isn't premium. But if a town centre cannot sustain bargain stores, what's next?"

Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Jane Ashworth has also shared her thoughts of how Hanley could be transformed to bring more people in.

Speaking on BBC Radio Stoke last month, she said: "I love Festival Park, but wouldn't it have been a lot better if the original plans to turn it into a space for industry had actually happened?

"It wouldn't have then become a shopping magnet, pulling the big stores out of Hanley. It's not far away enough to be an out of city retail park, so you've set up a conflict and Festival Park at the moment is winning that conflict.

"What we have to do is recognise that Hanley is not going to be the great shopping centre with all the big brands in it – it might end up like that, but the odds are against that.

"So we have to make it residential, we need to make it a place to go to do stuff that you'd like to do – restaurants, café/bars, arts centres, sports activity centres – something for you, your family, your mates to go to, with fewer shops.

"Probably smarter shops as well, like artisan shops, self start-ups. That together with improved buildings I think would make quite a lot of difference.

"For that to happen, we need something big, and the mechanism that's often used in other parts of the country is (an urban development corporation) a special organisation set up to lead this work, run by somebody who is top drawer in terms of negotiating big financial deals."