COLONY CANDLES PUT UP FOR SALEA CANDLE factory which employs 175 workers is up for sale.
Staff at the Colony Gift Corporation in Lindal were told yesterday that American owner Blyth Incorporated is selling off all its European home fragrance and candles companies.
A second big Barrow candle factory owned by Blyth Inc at Sandsale, CCW Ltd, is not affected and will continue as part of the US group.
It makes a different type of candles, sold via PartyLite house parties. There is speculation that one firm interested in buying Colony is Europe's biggest wax maker CSS of Turin.
It owns Price's, which supplies dinner candles to the Royal Family, but whose candles are all now made in Italy.
Despite being up for sale, bosses of the 26-year-old Colony company were upbeat.
Colony managing director Louise McMahon said: "We don't want any scaremongering because it is business as usual for us.
"There is nothing that I am aware of that is going to change at Lindal because we are being sold.
"A number of people are looking to buy us."
Colony was founded by Alan, Sue and Jill Williams, who sold it in 2001.
The trio were tragically killed in a plane crash in Africa last year.
