H&M have confirmed that their store in Dunfermline will close on Sunday, January 19.

The Swedish fashion firm said that the 15 members of staff who work in the Kingsgate Centre outlet have been offered jobs at a "nearby" branch.

It did not elaborate on the reasons for shutting up shop and an H&M spokesperson said: “We can confirm that H&M Dunfermline will close on Sunday, January 19.

"Our customers can continue to shop for quality fashion at the best price online at hm.com.

"We have consulted with our colleagues at this store on an individual basis, and every member of staff at the store has been offered the opportunity to transfer to a nearby H&M branch.”

H&M (shortened from Hennes & Mauritz) was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is said to be the world's second-biggest fashion retailer.

It has thousands of outlets around the world, selling clothing and accessories.

The retail giant opened their Dunfermline store, on two levels in the shopping mall, in August 2012.

The nearest H&M stores are in Edinburgh, Stirling and St Andrews.

Neil Mackie, centre manager at the Kingsgate, said: "It's a blow. The loss of the H&M name is a sad situation for the Kingsgate but we'll move onwards and upwards.

"The lettings team are on top of it. It's an interesting situation as, yes, retail is a tough market, and that's national, but what our guys are very good at is responding to the changes and finding uses that can go into void properties.

"As regards changes in the town centre, retail and traditional properties, they're really ahead of the game and we can probably look forward to a fairly innovative approach to filling the gap.

"It's one store in a big area. It's still very positive and we're attracting new business and we have very few voids.

"I'm also delighted that the jobs at H&M have been protected and the staff have been offered positions elsewhere."

On a related note, Mr Mackie said that the busy Christmas shopping period had been a "mixed bag" for retailers in the Kingsgate.

He said: "Some traders reported their sales were significantly up while others were down.

"Footfall was still exceptionally strong, we hit 240,000 in the week before Christmas and 190,000 the week of Christmas."