A BRADFORD company has been awarded a £100,000 grant to help with its move to a bigger base.
Pneumatics and compressed air distribution company Thorite secured the business development grant thanks to help from Bradford Council’s Invest In Bradford Team and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership. It will allow the company to invest in the firm’s new 40,000 square foot site on Hillam Road, off Canal Road in Bradford.
The company dates back to 1850 when it was known as Mill Furnishers. It has been based at Thorite House on Laisterdyke since 1971.
Earlier this year it announced that it had outgrown the site, and planned to move to the Hillam Road building – most recently used by Melrose Textiles and is double the size of its existing base. A planning application to refurbish the unit has been approved by Bradford Council.
The new grant will assist the company to expand and centralise its Bradford operation, bringing together the firms’ sales and service centre, aftermarket support, systems design, training academy, and national distribution centre all under one roof. The LEP and Bradford Council’s business advisors guided Thorite managers through an application which was approved by the LEP in April.
Bradford company reveals plans to move to much larger site in city
Thorite’s new central Bradford site will offer the company’s customers a complete one-stop-shop experience and a greater choice of pneumatic, hydraulic, and fluid power products. The centralised operation is expected to bring greater integration, coordination and productivity to the firm allowing it to further develop and nurture key customer relationships and new product development.
Last year, Thorite turned over almost £20 million.
From its head office in Bradford, Thorite has expanded to create a regional network of sales and service centres In Blackburn, Bolton, Bristol, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Leeds, Rochdale, Sheffield, North Shields, and the West Midlands.
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, said: “Firms like Thorite are vital to the Bradford district and regional economy and we are delighted to be able to assist them with this important grant which will boost their productivity, support growth and create jobs. Increasing productivity is an important driver in developing a strong, socially inclusive economy that works for everyone.”
Thorite Managing Director Stephen Wright, said: “We’re now in a position to move ahead with this exciting new chapter in Thorite’s future. The new building will provide us with room to expand and support our plans to grow Thorite to be a truly national company, headquartered in Bradford and we expect to move in by January 2021.”
Roger Marsh, Chair of LEP and NP11 said: “Boosting productivity remains a priority for the LEP and I’m delighted that we have been able to support businesses across the region.”
