The investment marks a return to British roots for the business, which in recent years outsourced part of its production to the Netherlands. TBA Textiles has reaffirmed its commitment to the future of manufacturing in the UK with an investment that sees 16 new jobs and two new apprenticeships created in Greater Manchester, in addition to the 18 jobs associated with an earlier investment this year.

Significant investment

“The help and support offered by the N Brown Textiles Growth Programme in the form of a second grant of £150,000 is greatly appreciated, and goes a long way to assist in our plans to invest around £700,000 into our own manufacturing plant in Rochdale over the next two years,” commented Mark Lineker, general manager at TBA Textiles.

“This significant investment, will in turn, secure our position at the forefront of development and manufacture of high performance technical textiles, and, additionally, allows us to invest in our local and wider community in the form of new job opportunities and apprenticeships.”

N Brown Textiles Growth Programme

Set up by the Manchester Growth Company for the Combined Authority in Greater Manchester and the Alliance Project, the N Brown Textiles Growth Programme is delivered by the Business Growth Hub and funded by the Regional Growth Fund. It has supported 56 companies in Greater Manchester, creating and safeguarding 856 jobs. With £5 million of government funding awarded since 2014, Greater Manchester textiles companies have themselves invested more than £28 million.

Since the start of the programme in 2014, 237 companies have been supported by the Textiles Growth Programme, creating and safeguarding nearly 3,500 jobs and securing £87 million of private sector investment through £20 million of grant support.

“Although early days after the Brexit vote, the textile industry is still showing the confidence to invest which is a healthy indicator that the sector is still growing. This is helped, in part, by government funding, and a strategy to invest in this industry which is so important to Greater Manchester,” said Lorna Fitzsimons, director, N Brown Textiles Growth Programme.

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Further reading

King Cotton Comes Home – Manchester company invests £5.8m to bring cotton spinning back to Britain