THE Clarke family behind the Silentnight beds and furniture empire has won back full control of the business after a bitter boardroom bust-up.

Chairman Keith Ackroyd and chief executive Bill Simpson bowed to the inevitable and resigned from the Salterforth-based business after an effective "vote of no confidence" from its largest shareholder.

Silentnight, which employs around 900 people at its beds division in Barnoldswick, has appointed Nino Allenzo as the new chief executive. He will take up his duties on Monday.

Famco Holdings, the family trust set up by Silentnight's late founder Tom Clarke, owns 50.51 per cent of the company.

Earlier this month, it had demanded an extraordinary general meeting when it said it would force the removal of both the chairman and chief executive.

Keith Ackroyd and Bill Simpson had resisted the Clarke family's attempt to buy the Silentnight shares it did not already control. They claimed that the indicative price offered of 190p per share "substantially undervalued" the company.

In a statement to the Stock Exchange, Silentnight acknowledged that Famco would have succeeded in its plans to take control.

It said: "Keith Ackroyd and Bill Simpson believe that any further delay in the process is not in the best interests of the company and accordingly have since offered their resignations."

A third member of the board, senior non-executive director Malcolm Little, has also resigned.

Silentnight was originally founded 55 years ago by Tom and Joan Clarke in a small shop in Skipton, using Tom's £180 war gratuity.

As Clarke's Matresses, it moved to Barnoldswick in 1949 and two years later the company was renamed Silentnight. It still has its national headquarters in the area which additionally employs around 900 people at Silentnight Beds, which remains the company's leading brand.

Silentnight has been under pressure from investors this year following a series of disappointing results in the wake of its acquisition of the Ducal and Cornwell furniture businesses.

A profits warning in April led to its share price falling from a year's high of £2.57 to £1.51.

In its latest annual results, released in April, Silentnight achieved an operating profit of £12.3 million on a £300 million turnover. Its furniture division lost £3.2 million.

Silentnight Beds is the company's leading performer and announced earlier this year that an extra 50 jobs would be created at Barnoldswick.

The company's other bed manufacturing businesses trade as Sealy, Perfecta, Layezee and Pocket Spring Beds.

Earlier this year, however, it warned interim profits would fall substantially below last year's levels after further problems in the troubled furniture division.