A BOLTON online umbrella retailer has created an innovative new product to help people dry off their umbrella after rain.

Umbrella World, in Nortex Business Centre in Chorley Old Road, has created BrollyDry.

And the unique new product has already prompted a flood of inquiries from companies around the country and an initial order of 1,000 from a well-known gift store.

BrollyDry is a clever way of drying off folding umbrellas. It involves a small, stylish nylon bag-like container with its own built-in microfibre cloth.

The wet umbrella is popped inside, twisted and left to dry in the bag; it can also be hung on a handbag.

The BrollyDry product is an extension of the firm's natural line and has been four years in the planning. "When I worked in an office, I was always struggling to dry my wet brolly," explained Mrs Brayshaw.

"You either put it beside you on the train and then forget about it or you put it up in the office to dry and it gets in the way.

"We always felt there was a need for the product and we've worked hard to get BrollyDry just right.

"We're really pleased with the final result and the reaction to it has been very positive with it already going into a variety of outlets."

The latest product is part of ongoing by 40 year-old Chris Brayshaw and his 35 year-old wife, Rebecca — the fourth generation of the family business.

It began life in Bolton's old indoor Market Hall and moved to the former mill — and to being online — when the Market Place shopping centre was created in 2009.

Since then, the company has grown impressively.

It now has eight staff and grew from occupying 4,000 sq ft to 8,000 sq ft then more recently doubling that to cope with the burgeoning business.

It has a corporate arm branding and making bespoke umbrellas dealing with high-profile clients like Virgin Atlantic, Clarins, Le Creuset and Arcadia and the Umbrellaworld website has more than 1,000 styles selling over 100,000 umbrellas a year.

The company also distributes umbrellas to stores across the UK - trading as UWorldwide, they have just become UK distributor for upmarket New Zealand brand Blunt Umbrellas..

The Bolton firm is also umbrella suppliers to well-known TV programmes ljke The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and Britain's Got Talent and regularly provides bespoke products for other programmes, theatres and musicals.

As well as selling BrollyDry themselves through www.BrollyDry.com the company is also supplying catalogues and other distributors.