Tough Year For Yorkshire Textile Manufacturer Camira Group In 2024 - But Bright Outlook

Everyone has a tough year now and again. Maybe your football team gets relegated or your favourite show gets cancelled. For businesses, a bad year can mean a lot more. Imagine trying to get on with your work but the whole world seems to be changing around you, and then, to top it all off, a fire breaks out. That is pretty much what happened to the Yorkshire textile manufacturer Camira Group. But this is a story about bouncing back, even when things get properly difficult. After a seriously challenging year, the company is looking forward with big plans for expansion and a few clever new product launches up its sleeve.

A bit of a tough year for Camira

Let’s not beat around the bush, 2024 was a challenging year for Camira. The financial results show that things were down. Think of it like a shop’s takings at the end of the week. In 2023 things were going great, but the figures for the year ending 29 December 2024 were lower.

Financial Snapshot	2023	2024
Turnover	£86.3 million	£81.1 million
Pre tax Profit	£5.19 million	£1.55 million

What happened? A big part of it was the change in how people work. With more and more people doing hybrid working a bit of time in the office and a bit at home, companies are not buying as much office furniture. That means less demand for the fabrics that cover office chairs and screens. This part of the business is called the contract fabric market and it took a real hit. It was not just office products either. The brand that makes fabrics for buses and trains also had a challenging year after a brilliant 2023. These are what experts call macroeconomic pressures, big economic shifts that affect almost everyone.

Then a fire broke out

As if a tricky market was not enough, something even worse happened. In early 2024 a fire broke out at the company’s dye house in Yorkshire. A dye house is a super important facility where fabric gets its colour. No dye house means no colourful fabric.

Thankfully nobody was hurt and the building itself was not wrecked. But the fire still caused a lot of equipment damage. This shutdown caused big problems with production through the summer and autumn. The Camira Group, a major textile manufacturer with a long heritage, had to manage complex supply chain and logistics issues to keep things moving. The incident at the dye house was a major test of their operational resilience.

But it is not all doom and gloom

Even with all that going on, Camira is feeling positive. This is a company with heritage that traces its roots all the way back to 1783. They have seen a thing or two. Instead of worrying, the team has been busy finding new opportunities. They are looking at making fabrics for hotels and special acoustic panels that help make rooms quieter. It is all part of a plan for future expansion.

Will Smith, the chief financial officer, explained their thinking.

2024 was a challenging year for Camira and the overall textile market, impacted by broader macroeconomic pressures as hybrid working led many customers to delay or scale back refurbishment and fit out projects.

A fire at our Holmfirth Dyers facility in May caused production downtime and equipment damage, disrupting trading through summer and autumn though thankfully with no injuries or major structural damage. Since then, we have strengthened operational resilience, ensuring production can continue across multiple sites while managing ongoing supply chain and logistics complexities.

And they have been innovating too. The company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024 and used the year to launch new eco friendly fabrics. One of their recycled fabrics now contains waste from other textiles. Another, called ReSKU 2.0, uses waste wool from their own manufacturing facilities and flax, a natural plant fibre. It is all about sustainability and smart design.

Looking ahead to a brighter 2025

The good news is that things are already looking up for 2025. Both the office and transport sides of the business are getting stronger. The company is planning a series of new product launches, including a new range of sheer fabrics, which should help boost their financial results.

The Camira Group is not just focused on the UK. They are building a bigger North American presence, which is a huge market for them. A visit from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in March 2025 to their main site in Meltham was also a big moment. He announced major investment in transport services and infrastructure, which is great news for a company that makes fabric for public transport.

The chief financial officer summed up the optimistic outlook.

Entering 2025 both the contract and transport markets are showing improvement, supported by new product introductions including our upcoming sheers range and strong operational performance in transport. As we exit 2025 we anticipate stronger financial results backed by a diversified customer base, growing North American presence and continued investment with our long term strategy focused on resilience and the exceptional service that has defined Camira since 1974.

So after a really challenging year that involved a fire, a changing market and a lot of headaches, this Yorkshire textile manufacturer is showing its strength. By focusing on operational resilience and smart expansion, Camira is proving that even after a tough time you can come back stronger.