Graham & Brown joins the UK's club of CoolBrands (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Graham & Brown joins the UK's club of CoolBrands

10:14am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News By Lisa Woodhouse, Assistant picture editor

BLACKBURN wallpaper giant Graham & Brown has joined the UK’s most exclusive club of ‘cool brands’.

The business has been named as one of the most stylish, unique, desirable and innovative brands of the year in Britain for the third consecutive year.

Other brands selected include innovators, trend-setters and style icons such as Apple, Aston Martin, Instagram, Spotify and Mercedes-Benz.

Andrew Graham, CEO of the Stanley Street business said he was delighted that the teamwork and design skills of the business had been recognised.

He said: “This is the third year we have been invited into the CoolBrands list. It’s a great accolade to receive because it’s all about design innovation and recognition of the fact that we think differently about wall decorations.

“The bit I’m most proud about in the entry is the description which talks about us being from Blackburn.”

The CoolBrands list, which includes 71 of Britain’s hottest brands, is voted for by a panel of 40 opinion-formers and style-leaders from the fashion, food, media and music industries.

The panel included interior designer Kelly Hoppen, TV and radio presenter Lisa Snowdon and actress Sadie Frost.

Mr Graham, whose firm’s wallpaper, wall art and paints are sold in over 75 countries, said: “Our brand is always looking forward and coming up with new ideas. Wallpaper and wall decorations are all about fashion.

“We are determined to keep design and innovation at the heart of the brand and that’s something that happens every day.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw said: “Graham and Brown is putting Blackburn on the map. It’s a world leading company and one of the most exciting businesses we have in the area.

“Being included in the CoolBrands book is fantastic news and very well deserved. Well done to Andrew and the team.”

Over the last three years, the firm’s export sales have increased 50 per cent representing over half of its total sales.

It develops collections with leading interior designers including Wayne Hemingway and Laurence Llewlyn-Bowen.

Graham and Brown was founded in 1946 by Harold Graham and Henry Brown. It has 650 employees.

The CoolBrands book was distributed to each of the featured companies and key industry players around the world.

HOW THE BOOK DESCRIBES GRAHAM & BROWN

Since 1946, Graham & Brown has been doing things differently. From its humble beginnings in post-war Blackburn it is now the leading light in wallpaper worldwide. The resurgence in wallpaper over the past few years has been impossible to ignore. It’s topical, it’s creative and its revival owes a lot to Graham & Brown. Constantly surprising and innovative in its designs, the brand works closely with luminaries of the design world, such as Julien Macdonald, Marcel Wanders, Kelly Hoppen and Steve Leung, as well as showcasing emerging talent and artists. The brand also extends beyond wallpaper, with co-ordinating wall art and paint, all supported by iconic advertising.

COOL BRANDS

• Absolut vodka
• Adidas
• Appl
• Aston Martin 
• Bang & Olufsen
• Bollinger
• Boxpark
• Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
• GHD
• Graham & Brown
• graze.com
• Instagram
• Mercedes-Benz
• Moshi Monsters
• Scalextric
• SodaStream
• Sony Music
• Spotify
•  Tangle Teezer
• Virgin Atlantic