Town centre shoppers have been told not to be fearful for their local Primark store - despite the discount fashion retailer's plans to open at Bluewater.

Following KentOnline's exclusive report this morning, a spokesman for the discount fashion chain has confirmed that it is scheduled to move into Kent's biggest shopping centre in 2019.

Primark has a number of stores across Kent, including Dartford and Gravesend, and Cllr Avtar Sandhu, Dartford council's lead member for business and enterprise, is confident that they will not be affected.

Scroll down to vote in our poll - Will Primark's move into Bluewater sound the death knell for local stores in nearby towns?

“Primark has been here for a number of years and I can’t see this being a setback," he said.

“I am sure that Primark wouldn’t want to leave Dartford and I am hoping it doesn’t.

“We will be working closely with them to make sure that they do stay in Dartford and of course support them in any way we can as the local authority."

A number of major brands with units at Bluewater have left the local town centres, including Next, Game and - most notably - M&S.

The latter did return to Dartford with a Simply Food store, but it no longer has any presence in Gravesend, with its New Road department store replaced by discount superstore B&M.

Dartford Labour leader Cllr Jonathon Hawkes welcomed Cllr Sandhu’s commitment to ensuring Primark does not follow suit but said the Bluewater opening was further evidence of the shopping centre eating into the town centre’s market.

“The original vision for Bluewater was to be complimentary to Dartford town centre and offer something different, rather than competing with it,” he said.

“But over the years that distinction has eroded away.

“For Dartford moving forward I do think the nighttime economy has to be the focus rather than pure retail because if you go into the town centre at 6pm or 7pm it’s a ghost town, but in the interim we can’t be losing stores like Primark.”