CAKE-MAKER Inter Link and conservatory roofing firm Ultraframe stole the show as East Lancashire's firms saw their stock market fortunes soar during a bumper 1999.

Blackburn-based Inter Link, which owns Crossfield bakery in the town, saw its shares rocket by 87 per cent thanks to growing orders for its cherry bakewells, swiss rolls and other goodies sold to supermarkets.

And staff at the firm's bakery have been watching the rising price with interest after they were granted options last year to buy shares at 78p.

And Ultraframe wasn't far behind with a gain of 66 per cent as it continued to grow profits and announced a major deal to take it into the North American market.

Staff who have held on to a windfall of £20,000 worth of shares they bought for an average stake of £250 just over two years ago have seen it more than treble.

After announcing record results, Ultraframe shares reached their highest ever level of more than £4.80 compared with the £1.60 that they first began trading at on the stockmarket in October 1997.

Blackburn-based Scapa came out of the doldrums with a 55 per cent rise after the sale of a number of businesses, including Scapa-Scandia in Blackburn and Scapa Filtration in Haslingden.

Salterforth-based bed and furniture giant Silentnight - one of the Investors Chronicle's top share tips of the year - saw its shares rise by 27 per cent.

And Darwen-based Wolstenholme Rink's shares rose by 17 per cent after many months in the doldrums because of the impact of the strength of the pound on its export markets. News of two possible bids for Preston-based economic development firm Enterprise, which operates sites across East Lancashire, took its share price 34 per cent higher.

Of firms based elsewhere but with strong East Lancashire connections, French was the star performer. The parent firm of Burnley-based pillow maker Northern Textiles saw its shares almost triple after getting back into the black and appointing Asda supremo Archie Norman as chairman.

JJB Sports was another stock market star, up by a whopping 138 per cent after improving sales.

Lambert Howarth announced plans to join forces with another a deal with another M&S supplier which it said would strengthen its position.

Skillsgroup, which owns Acuma in Haslingden, steadily recovered after warning about profits.

Of the big fallers, the city's concerns about the merger with GEC Marconi took BAE Systems shares 20 per cent lower.

Whitbread's aborted bid to buy Allied's pub chain contributed to a 20 per cent fall during the year.

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