Cotton & Rayon Spinners Ltd

Cotton and Rayon Spinners Ltd. was formed in 1949 out of a merger of three textile firms: the Delta Spinning Mill of Royton, and the Fernhurst Spinning Co. and Rugby Mill both of Chadderton (Oldham). The story of the firm’s creation is one prompted by the need to adopt new technology in order to stay competitive in the increasingly international world of the postwar textiles industry. The timing of the merger was significant as the business owners wanted to take advantage of a government subsidy available for modernising machinery: ‘the Cripps scheme’.

The history of the business is representative of the way that textile firms in the post-war years consolidated to survive. In June 1969 the business agreed a merger with Francis Sumner. In May 1979 the business announced the closure of its Delta Mill, due to losses. Despite an optimistic forecast in press in that year, no further mentions of the business have been found.