Vampire Vape to invest £1m and create jobs at newly acquired Blackburn factory

An e-cigarette liquid manufacturer in Lancashire is expanding and creating jobs after acquiring new multi-million-pound Blackburn premises.

Vampire Vape purchased a 115,000 sq ft factory and office property at Global Way, near the M65 between Blackburn and Darwen, where it expects to create between 20 and 30 new jobs.

The company only acquired new premises on Shadsworth Business Park last year, but quickly outgrew the facility.

Vampire Vape was founded in 2012 by Phil Boyle and Nathan Walton. In addition to selling to wholesalers in the UK and Europe, the firm exports to the US, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Law firm Harrison Drury advised Vampire Vape on the deal to acquire its new Blackburn HQ.

Phil Boyle said: “This new facility is more than 10 times the size of our previous premises. It gives us significant new manufacturing capacity and there’s more room to expand too if needed.

“We’re investing £1m in new machinery and cleanroom technology for the building. We currently have 67 staff and expect to employ 100 people by December.”

Vampire Vape’s growth has been attributed to the use of e-cigarette products becoming more mainstream and regulated.

Speaking further, Phil said: “We’ve quickly become one of the main UK-based manufacturers of e-liquids. Where many other businesses in our industry are importing liquids, we’ve focused on producing our own product in-house to very rigorous safety standards, which gives us complete control over the process.”

Mike Fetherstone, of the commercial property team at Harrison Drury, commented: “Phil and Nathan are a very entrepreneurial duo.

“It’s great to see two local people growing a successful business in the town and creating new jobs.”

He added: “Purchasing this building offers so much potential for expansion and gives them a solid foundation for the future.”