Deal - a seaside resort in Kent renowned for its cobbled beach and independent shops - has cut a bizarre sponsorship deal with an online retailer that will see the town renamed “Voucherbox: Home of Deal”.

The agreement - struck between the local chamber of trade and Voucherbox - will come into effect today. Like so many promotions, it will last just one day.

In 2014, Deal won The Telegraph award for High Street of the Year Credit: ALAMY

The campaign will, however, see Deal officially and indefinitely 'twinned' with Voucherbox, which is offering free listings on its “virtual high street” to local businesses.

Like so many promotions, it will last just one day

So far the list of retailers that have signed up to the promotion is dominated by chain stores such as Iceland, Superdrug and Poundland. Castles Removals, Castles Self-store and Castles Security Shredding, which are all part of the same company, are the only local businesses currently taking part.

“Many of our retailers have seen difficult trading conditions in recent years and Voucherbox bring with them a wealth of online retailing experience and expertise that we hope to benefit from,” said David Cronk, mayor of the town formerly known as Deal.

“Our town is over 900 years old but we are never afraid to innovate and this is a fantastic opportunity for Deal to put itself on the map nationally and internationally,” he added.

However, not everyone in Deal is convinced - or indeed aware - of the promotion. The owner of a local fashion shop, who declined to give her name, told Telegraph Travel that she didn’t even know about it.

It sounds a bit cheap and nasty Anonymous shopkeeper

“It’s a small town, we all talk, but I don’t know anything about it,” she said. “It sounds a bit cheap and nasty.”

Other business owners sounded similarly bemused, but Phil Bowman, founder of Beach, a local furniture shop, was aware of the initiative.

The town is feted for its pebble beach and independent shops Credit: ALAMY

“I think it's a good idea,” he said. “We have a similar thing in Deal called the Deal Card - although it’s not a voucher website and it hasn’t got UK-wide coverage - but it’s a similar kind of thing.”

Bowman has yet to sign up to Voucherbox, but that’s due to him being busy rather than uninterested.

“We’re quite open to it,” he said. “It’s just that I haven’t had chance to email them yet.”

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This is not the first time an English town has been twinned with something other than another town.

In 2002, Wincanton in Somerset was twinned with Ankh-Morpork, a fictional city from the pages of English author Terry Pratchett's novels; and in 2009, Swindon was, rather bizarrely, twinned with Disney World.

In 2009, Swindon was, rather bizarrely, twinned with Disney World

“Although we are an online voucher site, we believe that the traditional British high street plays an important part in our shopping experience,” said Voucherbox’s Shane Forster.

“We want to celebrate and encourage that by bringing the Deal high street online in time for the Black Friday and Christmas periods, hoping to give local businesses a boost.”