Rochdale textile company set to expand

Josh Dawson with Councillor John Blundell

A textile company which opened in Duke Street Mill in 1878, and supplies soft furnishings to top high street names including John Lewis, major hotel chains such as Holiday Inn and Marriott, and premier league footballers, is expanding.

JH Cunliffe is one of only two in the UK to specialise in narrow width weaving, which creates curtain tape, and there is growing demand for the ‘Made in Britain’ brand.

The company, part of the Bolton Textiles group, has spent £400,000 refurnishing the mill to meet growing demand.

Managing director Josh Dawson, 24, said: “The Made in Britain brand is really strong now. People know they can get better quality for not much money and we export all over the world. We had six major customers a few years ago and now we have 30.

“While we use traditional weaving and sewing methods, there’s a lot of IT work involved, and our operatives often accompany us on buying trips to places like Dubai and Germany because they know the machines far better than us. There’s also a promotion ladder, so people can move up within the company.”

The company, which gets all its raw materials from Scotland, was also recently commissioned to soft furnish a £23m penthouse in Blackfriars, London.

Alhtough the business is over a century old, it is looking at some very modern ways of saving money, having worked with the Business Growth Hub to gets grants to install an environmentally friendly biomass boiler, LED lighting and solar panels.

Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for regeneration at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “It is great to see the cotton manufacturing tradition, which Rochdale is so famous for, enjoying a resurgence.

“I am pleased that Josh has chosen to stay in Rochdale as his business has grown. His decision to build his company here means almost half a million pounds worth of investment into our borough and 20 new jobs for local residents, which is fantastic news.”