A LUXURY furniture maker in Bolton has been the subject of a management buyout.

Clive Christian has made a name for itself as a high-end purveyor of cabinets and accompaniments for 40 years.

Fifty skilled designers and craftspeople work out of their headquarters in St Germain Street, Farnworth and can boast a worldwide network of design partners.

And now its future will be overseen by managing director Guy Newton and Pamela Tennant, finance head, who have teamed up with David Dare, the former owner of fine kitchen and bathrooms maker Shaws of Darwen.

The trio has engineered the move with the company's majority shareholders Souter Investments, and other shareholders.

Mr Newton and Mrs Tennant will continue in their current roles, with the latter also now acting as company secretary, with Mr Dare coming in as company chairman.

“The core strengths and qualities of Clive Christian, together with the investment from the new ownership model, provides a very strong platform for growth and will enable us to deliver on the potential of the brand and meet the expectations of our staff, partners and clients,” said Mr Newton.

"I would like to thank Souter Investments and the previous shareholders for their support in recent years and looking to the future, to David Dare for investing in and sharing our belief and passion for craft and skill-based manufacturing in the UK.

"Wood brings a warmth to a home and the traditional craft skills that are learned, honed and maintained at Clive Christian Furniture Co will continue to be felt, understood and appreciated by our discerning clients in some of the finest interior spaces across the globe."

Mr Dare, until recently managing director of Perrin and Rowe, a luxury bathroom and kitchen brassware and ceramics company, said he was "overjoyed" to become a part of an "ongoing British success story".

He added: "I'm really looking forward to working with Guy, Pamela and their team to expand and develop the business in the coming months and years."