Carpet Maker Moving Manufacturing Back to UK

London, England, Oct. 9, 2009--Whitestone Weavers said it expects to create jobs at its headquarters in Hartlepool after announcing that it will move a large proportion of its manufacturing operations back to the UK.

Whitestone, which bought the Durham carpet company Hugh Mackay out of administration three years ago, said the production of its broadloom tufted carpets was to be brought back from its manufacturing partners in Belgium and Holland to be based in Yorkshire.

The company, which was set up in the early 1980s, said the new carpets would be re-branded as Made in Yorkshire, which it said would increase their appeal to its core UK market.

The firm, whose woven Axminister and Wilton carpets will continue to be made by partner firms in Poland, said its decision was also based on recent movements in the euro.

The firm started out as a retailer of Axminster carpets and works exclusively with smaller independent retailers targeting medium to high-end customers.

“The trend for homeowners seems to be heading more towards quality carpeting rather than cheap floorboards,” said sales director Phil Hartley.

“I also believe that those people coming back to carpets are more likely to want something of quality rather than the cheap and cheerful carpets that last only a couple of years.”