NEW jobs are planned following a merger involving a Keighley-based firm to form the UK’s largest manufacturer of educational furniture.

British Thornton ESF and its Scottish sister company EME Furniture have integrated with Hull-based Claughton Office Equipment Ltd.

The combined business aims to increase revenues from £26 million to £30 million in the next 12 months.

British Thornton ESF and EME is the market leading designer, manufacturer and supplier of loose and fitted educational furniture. Its Trudy brand is the leading name in furniture and fittings specially designed for early years and primary education and is used in one in four capital schemes in the UK.

Claughtons has been designing, manufacturing and supplying educational and commercial furniture for more than 20 years.

The pioneering deal in a sector worth £200 million will see the new business trade as British Thornton with increased capacity to manufacture £50 million of bespoke educational furniture a year. British Thornton supplies around 15 per cent of the market.

The deal was led by Gerard Toplass, Claughtons’ managing director, who will become chief executive officer of the new board.

He will be joined by Simon Crawford, group sales director; Gary Wilks, group commercial director; Stuart Little, group operations director; David Claughton, sales director; Mike Elton, operations director, and Andrew Wright, chief financial officer.

British Thornton and Claughtons have been responsible for furnishing £10 million of projects across the Bradford district through the Building Schools for the Future programme, including University Academy Keighley, Grange Technology College and Beckfoot School in Bingley.

Mr Toplass said: “The customer experience in the education sector in the UK has been lacking for some time due to the seasonality of the ordering cycle, a lack of product innovation and an inability for the market to properly meet customer demand. With our new business we are going to address this and we will change the sector for the better by bringing a more retail-focussed approach, enhancing the customer journey and ultimately improving value for money.

“The education sector as a whole has not seen any real innovation in product development but we plan to build on the Trudy range by innovating and introducing more cutting-edge brands for different educational age groups.

“Our aim is clear – to innovate and improve the aesthetics of classrooms across the country while also improving the teaching and learning experience for teachers and students, who all use our furniture.”

The business is now recruiting in Yorkshire and Scotland for account management and customer facing roles. Further expansion is planned organically and through acquisitions.