COLOURCARE, the UK's largest wholesale photoprocessor with a laboratory in Bury, is being bought by its management in a £55 million deal.

The move has been led by Gresham Trust, the private equity house, on behalf of the buyers.

ColourCare has a 1,600-strong workforce, a head office in Salisbury and seven UK laboratories including Bury.

Heading the management buy-out is Bill McInnes, who becomes managing director.

He said: "We intend to build on ColourCare's existing strengths of a wide and innovative range of products and services, backed up by high standards of quality and customer care provided through our nationwide laboratory network."

ColourCare, whose Bury laboratory is in the town's Tile Street, offers a next-day developing, printing and photo imaging service to cover 13,000 retailers nationwide.

The company processes around 22 million films annually.

ColourCare expects to achieve a turnover of £55 million in the coming year.

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