PLANS are in place for a Blackburn-based furniture firm to expand as the result of a £400,000 investment package.

Bosses at Daisyfield-based Designer Sofas For You have confirmed they now intend to cover the whole of the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands from their Forrest Street HQ.

Working on the back of encouraging trading figures since the start of the year, the Chesterfield House outfit is looking to capitalise.

Commercial director Ikram Bohra said: “We started out 10 years ago in the midst of the financial crisis and survived.

“Since then the business has grown year-on-year. We are off to a flying start in 2017 and are up 10 per cent on the figures reported in the first quarter of last year.”

The company specialises in manufacturing British Chesterfield-style sofas, making items in-house and to order at their base in the centre of the town.

Their new proposals, they say, will potentially open up their service to an even bigger audience, ensuring they keep growing and investing locally.

Mr Bohra said: “It’s a dying trade. Not many upholsterers are left with the traditional skills, so we have in-house apprenticeship training to stop this art being lost forever.

“We feel that investing in British manufacturing is crucial, and it’s something that will become ever more important during and after Brexit.

“We’re committed to the success of Designer Sofas 4 U and are proud that we’ve not only survived as a business, but we’ve flourished.”

Mr Bohra sees the ability to expand the delivery operation as a key component to their future, even opening up further international markets down the line.

He is also hopeful that the expansion will generate additional posts soon. Sixteen staff are currently involved with the company’s online retail business and a further 18 are part of the manufacturing team.

Customer orders have been taken from as far afield as America, Canada and Russia, as well as Japan, China and Australia.

Commercial clients in the past have included leading names such as Adidas, Alton Towers, Legoland, ITV, EastEnders, Hollyoaks, Manchester City Football Club, and the Ministry of Defence.

(Source: lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)