A BLACKBURN-BASED soft tissue manufacturer has announced it will create 65 new jobs at a new site in Lancashire.

Accrol Group Holdings plc, which has its main headquarters in Roman Road, is to open a new warehouse in Pimbo near Skelmersdale.

It means some of the smaller warehouses it has in the Blackburn and Accrington areas will be closed with staff redeployed to other roles.

The company has performed in line with market expectations, according to its latest trade report.

It now has half the discount market for its products after securing a contract with Lidl at the end of last year and recently opened a new 168,000sqft factory in Leyland, employing 80 staff.

Accrol bosses said despite a less favourable economic environment with general uncertainty in the markets it has performed in line with expectations and has ‘consolidated its position as the leading supplier of tissue products to the discount sector’.

Steve Crossley, Accrol’s CEO, said: “We are pleased to announce that, despite a less favourable macro-economic environment, we have performed in line with expectations in our maiden year as a publicly-listed business.

“We have continued to make progress with our growth plans, extending our relationships with both new and existing customers and investing in our infrastructure for the future.”

The company has now signed a 10-year lease with Orbit Developments for the 368,000sqft warehouse in Skelmersdale.

It will store finished goods and provide central distribution facilities to all UK customers.

Warehouse management and national logistics will be contracted out to distribution company NFT.

Tony Duckworth, Blackburn and District Chamber of Trade president, said: “Blackburn has proved to be a good location for many years.

“We hope they continue to remain a presence in Blackburn."