Blackpool chimney maker funnels staff into new UK HQ

Willis and Thornley has relocated to a 20,000 sq ft unit within Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone.

The company, which makes industrial chimneys and is owned by German firm Jeremias Group, has signed up to occupy Pioneer House.

Willis and Thornley has relocated from its original home on Cowley Road to a unit previously occupied by Lebus Engineers.

Pioneer House will become Jeremias new UK headquarters. The firm has invested in two overhead cranes and refurbished the office space.

Willis and Thornley managing director Robert Willis said the move would help the company become the “market leader for industrial chimneys in the UK.”

Cllr Mark Smith, cabinet member for levelling up (place) at Blackpool Council, said the relocation is a coup for Blackpool.

“This is a real success story for business in Blackpool,” he said.

A local company which started here has now become the new UK headquarters of a major global engineering company.

“The business could have chosen to move their offices elsewhere but have stuck with their roots to employ more people on the Fylde coast.”

Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone is a 355-acre site that the council is regenerating as part of the EZ initiative. The area has been granted enterprise zone status until 2041 and aims to create around 3,000 jobs and 2.7m sq ft of employment space over that period, including a 50-acre data centre campus billed as Silicon Sands.