Toilet roll manufacturer Accrol Papers has opened a new £6m warehouse in Blackburn, aided by a £1.4m grant from the Regional Growth Fund.
The tissue-maker has increased its storage space by almost 50% by building a new 120,000 sq ft warehouse to increase its premises to 300,000 sq ft in total.
A spokesperson for the company said: “We have a £1.4m grant approved in principle. This was approved on our plans to expand manufacturing levels at the site.”
Business Minister Baroness Wilcox toured the new 120,000 square foot offices and warehouse facility and met with workers before unveiling a plaque onsite.
Founded in 1993, Accrol Papers has had significant growth in recent years after expanding production services. This included £25m worth of new plant machinery and premises, with a further £30m expected over the next two years.
The family-run business recently secured a conditional offer from the second round of the government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to bolster its expansion plans and create new jobs by partially supporting the new office space and helping to refurbish other facilities onsite.
Baroness Wilcox commented: “The work that has been taking place to expand production has turned the business from a SME to a UK leader in only a few short years.”
“The RGF support will help Accrol Papers to continue on its projected plan for growth that will offer support not only for its commercial ambitions, but new job opportunities for people in the North West of England,” she added.
Accrol Papers is now the fourth largest soft tissue converter in the UK with manufacturing capacity in excess of 75,000 tonnes per year. It has an output of over one million toilet rolls and 250,000 kitchen rolls each day.
Managing director Majid Hussain, said: “We were delighted to welcome Baroness Wilcox and guests to the opening of our new premises. We have exciting plans for the future and we hope that we will soon be able to announce the construction of a further new manufacturing facility which will lead to the creation of an additional 150 jobs.”
