London, Englnd, June 21, 2006--One of Kidderminster's best-known carpet firms, Brintons, is putting in a new £1 million loom after seeing demand for one its styles leap by 50 per cent.
Another major carpet firm in the town, Victoria Carpets, announced a six per cent increase in sales despite a slump in profits caused by rising energy prices.
Delighted staff at Brintons say the new loom will join the 60 or so others to meet the rise in popularity of their Wilton carpet. It is expected up to five jobs will be created.
It is particularly good news for Brintons as it was forced to axe around 50 jobs in 2004 when orders slumped.
Finance director Peter Johansen said unlike many other carpet firms, Brintons, was actually doing better in the UK and the market was thriving, despite competition from companies offering alternative flooring.
The firm, which has been in the town over 200 years, is also looking into the possibility of opening another overseas factory, maybe in China, to serve the American market.
However Johansen said the new loom proved their commitment to Kidderminster which was still very much an important centre for the firm.
He added: "The new Wilton loom is very big. It will be put in place over the next few months and commissioned in January.
"We are now doing better in the UK market than in previous years unlike a lot of other firms. In fact one of our best selling carpets is the Bell Twist which is 40 years old."
Mr Johansen said the firm had faced tough competition from other flooring firms at one time but there had been steady improvement.
Victoria Carpets announced its latest trading figures and said the jobs of its 260 workers were safe.
