Textiles sector creates 1,000 new jobs in region

77 BUSINESSES INVESTED £32m IN THE TEXTILES GROWTH PROGRAMME OVER FOUR YEARS

THE textile industry in Greater Manchester is thriving.

According to new figures, 77 textiles manufacturing businesses invested £32m in the Textiles Growth Programme over four years.

This unlocked more than £6.4m in grants through the Government’s Regional Growth Fund and has helped to create nearly 1,000 new jobs.

It has also safeguarded more than 150 jobs and created 79 apprenticeships.

The programme focussed on five Local Enterprise Partnership areas, which had previously had a history of textiles manufacturing, and where there were no growth opportunities. These include Greater Manchester, Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Nottingham and Derbyshire.

Through renewed confidence, the industry now has the potential to add 10,000 new jobs and £500m more to the UK’s economy each year by 2020. It is the most significant initiative ever to be undertaken in the UK to support the UK textiles industry.

Andy Ogden from English Fine Cottons, based in Dukinfield said: “The Textile Growth Programme has bought confidence back to the industry. The textile industry needs to support itself and bring quality back to the market.

“We’ve invested £6m in bringing cotton spinning back to support weavers, knitters and dyers. We want to ensure high quality cottons produced here in Manchester are back on the high street, giving British consumers the products they deserve.”

A total Regional Growth Fund of £27m, awarded to the programme in 2012 has leveraged a further £123m nationally from the private sector through the support of 340 British manufacturers.

Carol Kane, CEO at Manchesterbased Boohoo.com said: “At Boohoo we are proud to source over 50 per cent of our products from the UK.

“Not only are we delighted to support the British textile manufacturing industry and the creation of employment opportunities for workers in the UK, having our suppliers nearby is also a crucial part of our business model.

“We are a fast-fashion business with a focus on speed to market, so being able to manufacture our products in the UK allows us to lead the way in trends and styles.”