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An Eastbourne jewellers, which still has a store open in the town, has confirmed roughly when it will be reopening one of its branches.

W.Bruford closed its Cornfield Road store in July as it prepared to move to a new site on the same road.

A spokesperson from the store said: “Due to the amount of work we are doing this has been delayed slightly and now won’t happen until April/May next year. Our plan is to create a store that complements our existing Beacon Centre store whilst retaining some of the historic features of no 10 (originally designed for J Sainsbury in 1913) and showcasing the history of Brufords here in Eastbourne.”

This is the third location the business has had during its 136-year history, according to the jewellers.

The new W.Bruford site in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne

The store in Cornfield Road will specialise in branded jewellery and diamond rings. The branch is also planning to have a full jewellery workshop up and running by the end of the 2023.

The spokesperson added: “This will allow us to offer in-house repair and restoration services and the opportunity to create bespoke pieces for customers.

“It will also be home to our brand-new watch servicing centre where we will have two Rolex-accredited watchmakers and two technicians. They will be able to carry out watch movement servicing, case and bracelet refurbishing, battery and resealing all done to original manufacturer’s specifications using genuine parts. The workshop will be one of only a handful in the south east with accreditation from the likes of Rolex, Breitling, Omega and TAG Heuer, as this is a strictly controlled process.

"Both the workshop and watchmakers have come together after several years of major investment by us in this part of the business. Ultimately, we will be able to speed up the process for customers as it will alleviate the need for the watches to be returned to manufacturers, whilst guaranteeing that all works done will be carried out by qualified watchmakers using genuine parts.”

Across the road Closs and Hamblin has taken on the former W.Bruford site in Cornfield Road.

W.Bruford’s store in The Beacon is home to a dedicated Rolex instore showroom.

Eastbourne jewellers to reopen branch in new site