PLACEMAT manufacturer Pimpernel International is set to create about 70 jobs after buying rival Cloverleaf for an undisclosed sum.

The Consett business is shutting Cloverleaf's Wiltshire headquarters, making about 90 of its 130 staff redundant.

But it plans to transfer about 40 sales executives to Consett and create another 30 jobs at its base in Blackhill.

The deal will also give Pimpernel access to Cloverleaf's portfolio of major clients, including Marks and Spencer.

Pimpernel employs 200 people, 150 of them in Consett.

It is the UK's leading manufacturer of placemats and coasters. Overseas orders represent 60 per cent of Pimpernel's turnover.

Roger Crudington, chief executive of Pimpernel, said: "Cloverleaf represents a tremendous opportunity for us.

"It has an excellent product range and a customer base which will allow us to generate increased sales for our existing product range, and help us to broaden our product offering."

Production will be transferred from Cloverleaf's production facility in Swindon over the next eight months.

Mr Crudington added: "The transfer of production from Wiltshire to Consett will not only preserve employment prospects for our existing workforce, but will also lead to the creation of a number of new positions.

"We believe the two companies complement each other and we are confident that we can use the deal as a springboard for further growth both in the UK and in the crucial US market.