A PREMIER League football club has shut down its store in a Basildon shopping centre as it prepares to move to a new stadium.

West Ham United has operated an official club store at the Eastgate Centre since November 2014, selling replica kit and merchandise.

It was initially set up as a temporary store for the busy Christmas period, but had remained open until due to its popularity.

But West Ham has now shut the store permanently ahead of the club's move to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford this summer.

A club spokesman said: “The West Ham United store at the Eastgate Shopping Centre was opened as a pop-up to cope with high demand over the Christmas period.

“In response to the store’s popularity, the pop-up venture's run was extended but the store has now closed as attention turns to the club's new megastore beside its magnificent stadium on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, due to open this summer.

“Details of the official new club store opening will be available on on the club website in the coming weeks.”

Star players regularly visited the Basildon store to sign autographs and pose for photos.

Defender James Tomkins, who grew up in Basildon and went to Chalvedon School, visited the store to mark its grand opening in 2014.

The signing sessions were always immensely popular among fans, with hundreds of people queuing in the concourse of the shopping centre waiting to meet the footballers.

Other players who visited the store included England striker Andy Carroll and goalkeeper Darren Randolph, who will be going to this summer's Euro 2016 tournament with Ireland.