Bath Chronicle: Jobs Boost In Pipeline For Bradford On Avon

New jobs could soon be coming to Bradford on Avon after a deal was signed between two of the UK's most established bicycle manufacturers. Alex Moulton Bicycles, which was launched in...

New jobs could soon be coming to Bradford on Avon after a deal was signed between two of the UK's most established bicycle manufacturers. Alex Moulton Bicycles, which was launched in the town 50 years ago, has joined forces with Stratford on Avon bike builder Pashley Cycles to form The Moulton Bicycle Company. The new firm will produce and market the ranges of both its founding partners with a combined staff of more than 50 people. Moulton and Pashley have collaborated for the past 12 years with Pashley building and marketing the Pashley-Moulton TSR range. Dr Alex Moulton, who founded the Bradford-based business in 1958, said the new venture would establish a solid base for the future growth of the Moulton bicycle business. "This new initiative will allow us to increase our market penetration and reduce our supply times," he said. "This will enable us to develop new marketing programmes, strengthen the enviable reputation of the Moulton brand and ensure our bicycles remain at the forefront of the small-wheel bicycle revolution." More than half of Moulton's output is exported to Japan and the Far East from its base at Holt Road in Bradford. Manufacturing will remain in the town, and the company hopes to generate more jobs. However, no figure has been put on the number of posts that could be created. Pashley Cycles managing director Adrian Williams said the new company had already developed a substantial order book with a waiting list of 15 months for its most popular models. Mr Williams said: "The task will be to increase production output and at the same time open up new markets which should not be difficult as these superbly engineered cycles are much-admired worldwide."