BURY-based Nationwide Telephone Company has more than lived up to its name after clinching an audacious takeover deal.

The acquisition of Granada Microcare now means the thriving Bury firm is the UK's largest independent provider of telecommunication services in the UK.

And with the business poised to create well over 90 jobs within the next 18 months, allied to a £1 million injection of acquisition cash and development capital, Nationwide will consolidate its already enviable foothold in the telecommunications market.

Earlier this year the Bury company won Granada TV's prestigious "Flying Start" business programme.

Now, Nationwide has bought Granada Microcare - the telecommunications maintenance division of the giant Granada PLC.

Jubilant Nationwide managing director Mr Mark Bedward said the acquisition was completed despite stiff competition.

"We were aware the business was for sale. I fought vigorously day and night, through a very short timescale, in order to succeed in this transaction.

"A number of other organisations were very close to acquiring the buiness - but we managed to convince Granada PLC we were the most appropriate organisation."

A top Granada team visited Nationwide's new headquarters on Peel Way and after a full and successful inspection agreed the deal.

The takeover means Nationwide now employs over 130 staff in Bury and at various centres all over the UK.

Mr Bedward had planned to recruit over 90 new staff during the next 18 months. "But now, our plans are even more enhanced than and it's likely that number will increase."

Despite the fact Nationwide virtually covers the whole country, the managing director remains loyal to Bury where he began the business in 1984.

"We are controlling the UK from Bury, rather than having Bury controlled from London," he stressed.

"We had customer service centres in Merseyside, Sunderland, Birmingham and Bristol while Granada had these in north and south London, Bristol, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.

"We've put all these together now and it means we currently operate from ten centres around the UK."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.