ONE of East Lancashire's largest and oldest employers is to merge in a multi-million pound deal.

Office supplies firm FH Brown of Burnley, which employs about 280 people, is joining forces with London-based Dudley Stationery Ltd.

A statement issued by the Farrington Road firm - the largest of its kind in the North - today said all its staff would remain with the firm and it would continue to trade under the FH Brown name.

Joint managing directors of the Burnley firm, David and Andrew Brown, have traded their ownership of FH Brown for a stake in the Dudley Group.

"Our decision to take this step was based on the commitment to continually improve our service to customers," said a statement issued by the two. "We are confident that the membership of a larger group with greater buying power will enable us to offer customers even better value and a wider choice of product and services."

The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

FH Brown was launched by Fred Harold Brown in 1929.

He learned typing at night school and toured the factories and offices of Burnley offering to copy documents.

David and Andrew Brown, Fred's two sons, will continue the day-to-day running of the business following the merger.

Dudley announced plans last year to expand through a series of acquisitions and that it intended to seek a stock market flotation.

The firm celebrated its fiftieth anniversary last year and is one of the three largest office products dealers in the UK.

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