A £6.7 MILLION investment bringing more than 100 new jobs was being unveiled today.

The opening of Canadian-owned Global Group's new European headquarters in Darwen is seen as a major vote of confidence in East Lancashire's manufacturing industry which has been battered by a series of major job losses.

Global's UK subsidiary, GGI Office Furniture, bought the family-owned Prince Moran office seating site four years ago and since then the firm has grown steadily.

"Our acquisition of the current factory in Darwen has proved to be a huge success," said Carlos Viveiros, chief executive of Global.

"GGI has outperformed our expectations and this has brought forward our plans." Bosses from the firm were flying in from Canada for the official opening ceremony today.

The first part of the move onto the 7.5 acre site at Eccleshill has now been completed and covers 120,000 sq ft. A further development covering 40,000 sq ft is planned.

As well as being the main office seating manufacturing base for the European operation, the site will eventually produce desking and storage. The expansion will see the Darwen workforce increase from 120 to 230.

The latest investment confirms East Lancashire as one of the office furniture and seating capitals of the UK.

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