BOSSES at wallpaper giant Graham and Brown say Blackburn remains pivotal to its ambitions as it positions itself as a major player in the global marketplace.

Graham and Brown’s factory sits on the banks of the Leeds Liverpool Canal at Furthergate Business Park and the last decade has seen unprecedented international growth for the firm which employs a total of 530 people.

Set up 62 years ago by two friends – Harold Graham and Henry Brown – the latest expansion has been driven by a desire to tap into new markets, not sit still and be complacent about its place as the market-leading wallpaper manufacturer within the UK.

This drive has seen the company establish bases in some of the world’s most glamorous cities such as Moscow, New York, Amsterdam, Lille, Shanghai and Toronto as it seeks out new markets for its product.

But despite, chief executive Andrew Graham is keen to stress that its East Lancashire heritage is vital.

He said: “Blackburn is completely fundamental for us and we are proud of where we are from.

"We reference it in our advertising and, like Wayne Hemingway (the Blackburn-born designer) and Jack Walker (former Blackburn Rovers chief), we are proud of the area and there is a lot of good going on here.

“We will never move our factory. This is not a business that would benefit from being in a low cost country because it is a hi-tech company.”

Andrew, along with fellow directors Ian Brown and John Carter (Ian’s cousin), is the third generation to stand at the helm of Graham and Brown and the global aspirations began with the buy-out of a French company in 1999.

“The global economy has accelerated in the last five years and we have seen a massive shift in spending power going eastwards,” said Andrew.

“There is a global economy out there. The thing is that some long-term loyalties have evaporated and so we have looked to other markets.”

The company is also continually adapting some of its traditional products.

One of Graham and Brown’s major wallpaper lines, Superfresco, has sold more than 250million rolls since its launch 25 years ago and continues to shift a staggering 27,000 rolls every day. And even this established brand has been brought up to date in the form of Superfreco Easy which aims to cut down on the hassle of hanging wallpaper.

What the company has also done is position itself at the front of the queue when it comes to interpreting consumer trends which has led it to the proliferation of floral and artistically patterned wallpaper that adorns homes across the country.

Link-ups with designers such as Laurence Llewelyn Bowen and Blackburn’s own Wayne Hemingway have seen its products recently described by the Sunday Times as the “Topshop of wallpaper” and Llewelyn Bowen – tongue possibly in cheek – proclaimed Blackburn as “the new Paris” when it comes to design.

Andrew said “Wallpaper is back and we are bringing new consumers to the market.

“The economic slowdown will pose problems but we are confident about our place in the market.

“If people recognise they are not going to make a quick killing by renovating their house and selling it then they might look to spend money on making it comfortable for themselves. We have anopportunity in difficult times to make a real go of it.”