DISCOUNT shopping group T.J. Hughes has refuted claims that its Burnley store will be a deadly rival to the town's market.

Market stallholders say the new 36,000 sq ft complex, which will be a major part of the £12 million Curzon Street redevelopment, will pose direct competition to traditional traders and could threaten their existence.

But the Liverpool group's managing director, George Foster, today stepped in to allay fears - and predicted his store, which is due to open in 1999, will provide a massive boost to the market hall.

In a statement, he said, "We would like to re-assure the market traders in Burnley that our store will certainly not be selling traditional market stall goods.

"Many of the items in our wide range are famous brand names."

The two-storey store aims to sell a full range of clothing, fashion accessories, shoes, cosmetics, perfumes, furnishings, linens, housewares, electrical goods, gardening products and toys - sparking fears among traders that the centre will be "a market under one roof".

But Mr Foster says: "Anyone visiting our stores would recognise that we do not create market-style environments. We are extremely proud of the design and layout of our stores."

Mr Foster added that the level of advertising and marketing which the company would generate for the new Burnley store would ensure "a huge increase" in visitors to Curzon Square.

"We have proved this with all our other stores - and the increased customer traffic will inevitably benefit the market traders enormously," he said.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.