By the mid 1980’s the last of the UK cotton mills was closed. It was assumed that cotton production would never return to the UK in the wake of cheaper foreign imports. However, thanks to £4.8m investment by a North West based company, the first cotton in a generation will be once again produced in Manchester.
English Fine Cottons is intending to create more than 100 new jobs by regenerating a former Victorian cotton mill and use cutting-edge technology to produce luxury yarn for domestic and global markets. The company has already placed orders for key equipment and begun recruiting staff with a view to re-starting cotton spinning in the UK mid-2016.
The new mill, it is claimed, will spin some of the most luxurious yarn in the world, using raw materials from Barbados, India, the USA and Egypt. The yarn will be used in collections for the high-end fashion market and ride on the tide of desire for Made in Britain fashions.
Great news!
That is excellent news. Thank you for posting. I have just read a little more about it. Whilst most of the money is coming from the company there is also a government grant via the Regional Growth Fund. It just goes to show how effective targeted investment in manufacturing can be. It’s like the Ebac washing machines. Basically a couple of million quid (a pin prick in government terms) has helped enable the return of two previously defunct industries and the creation of 100’s of new jobs.
Fantastic news!
That is marvellous news and another great return to making it British. We’ll watch with interest.
Brilliant! This should be in the national news media & not just the local rags-if it made those? Good for British morale!
Marvellous news, much luck to them, can’t wait to see the fabric
Good news, we need more investment in industries in this country. The only way to compete with the world is to specialise since we are unable to mass produce like other countries. We need more small businesses and the government should do more to help by getting rid of red tape and investing in them.
This is such good news! In working on my genealogy, I learned that some of my ancestors worked in the cotton mills of Lancashire, so I’ve done a bit of research on them. I’m sure these new operations will wipe out any idea of “dark satanic mills.” So glad to see manufacturing in Britain. (BTW I’m doing a giveaway this week of British-grown Tregothnan tea.)