Belgian takeover secures 120 jobs at UK textile company

A textile firm in North West England has been taken over by a Belgian manufacturer in a move heralded as ‘very good news’ by bosses, writes the Lancashire Telegraph’s Dan Clough. Van de Wiele NV, based in West Flanders, bought all assets of Spencer Wright Industries Group, which includes Cobble Blackburn Ltd, securing 120 jobs in the town. The firm manufactures an extensive range of tufting, a process used to make warm garments, machines and ancillaries. But after facing difficulties in recent years, the firm was sold in a pre-pack administration deal, with the sale agreed ahead of an administrator being appointed. Former group president Geoff Hemingway said the future looked bright after the takeover. “It is going to be very positive for the Blackburn part of the business,” he said. “The Blackburn base will be the centre of excellence for tufting technologies across the company. It can only be good news.” Mr Hemingway said he did not expect there to be any jobs lost as a result of the takeover. He added: “They are looking to invest in the business, not reduce it. They are keen to restore Blackburn to its rightful place as a leader in the tufting industry. This was a very welcome takeover in that the company had survived the worst recession in its history and sources were depleted.“It could have been a struggle to get going again, so the takeover is excellent news.” The company will now operate under the name, Cobble Van de Wiele.