A PRINTING firm is to create 50 new jobs in Chippenham following the purchase of a £1,665,000 premises in the town.

For the past 10 years Image Factory has been based at the Corsham Commercial Centre in Potley Lane.

The firm will double its floor space with a move to the Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate when it opens there in 12 weeks time.

The company produces point-of-sale material for retailers, including posters, signage, cardboard engineering, 3D design and banners, as well as packing and distribution materials.

Image Factory's recent success has meant it needed larger premises and it has therefore bought the 50,000 sq ft former NHS building on the industrial estate.

The company currently employs just under 50 people, but plans to double its workforce in the next few years. Image Factory has an annual turnover of £4m and is part of the Quarto group which has an £80m worldwide turnover.

Geoff Banks, the company's managing director, said: "The move is an opportunity for us as a company to go forward and be a larger part of the group."

Image Factory produce a lot of the promotional material found in shops today. Mr Banks said: "Our biggest client is Dixon's, any promotional material you see in their shops is ours. We also manufacture lampshades."

Mr Banks said that it was a good time for firms like Image Factory to be in business. "Shops have got to be more competitive on the high street and so they need more promotions," he said.

"People can't afford to hold stock and going through us is cheaper than TV advertising.

"We've got a sad group of employees who go down high streets looking at signs!"

Mr Banks explained that it was vital Image Factory moved to bigger and better premises if they are to secure top contracts. "The site at Corsham is for sale if anyone is interested," he added.

The new site in Chippenham is not just a larger premises. Mr Banks said: "We are investing in state of the art equipment from the design studio through to the packaging department. We just want to get in there and get going.

"At the moment we can produce promotional material up to 1.5m by 1.2m. At the new site we'll be able to produce pieces up to 2.6m by 1.8m even on surfaces as thick as wood."

Image Factory has had a significant history in British sign-making. The company originally started out in Bristol and used to produce all the signs for the Berni Inn restaurants in the 1950s and 60s.