A knitting firm which moved from London to the Isle of Man is looking to expand the factory it opened earlier this year.

The Albion Knitting Company is known for its luxury knitwear manufacturing, and has produced items for well-known luxury brands such as Givenchy, Chloe, Paul Smith, Studio Nicholson and Belstaff.

The factory, called Barrule House, opened in March at Ronaldsway Industrial Estate in Ballasalla which created 50 jobs.

The company’s decision to move to the island followed a ‘team trip’ to the 2023 Isle of Man TT races, which was swiftly followed by discussions with government agency Business Isle of Man regarding the island’s business opportunities.

Earlier this year Chris Murphy, the director of the Albion Knitting Company, said: ‘We are already working with local partners to fit out the new factory and in the second half of the year we will be looking to recruit and train as many local staff as possible who have some experience in or aptitude for knitwear.’

Artist's impressions of how a new expansion of The Albion Knitting Company factory would look at its factory at the Ronaldsway Industrial Estate in Ballasalla
Artist's impressions of how a new expansion of The Albion Knitting Company factory would look at its factory at the Ronaldsway Industrial Estate in Ballasalla (Penketh Millar)

Now the company is looking to expand the factory with its second phase of development and has now submitted a planning application.

In the cover letter, the company said: ‘In July 2024 the directors purchased Barrule House, a derelict industrial site and fully refurbished the main workshops including removing asbestos and replacing the roof.

‘Since the completion of Phase One, Albion has been successfully manufacturing on this site since January 2025 and now employs 64 people at Ronaldsway.

‘Due to time constraints Phase Two - the refurbishment of the old office block was not started but following further investigation our architect Penketh Millar has advised it would be more practical to demolish the old office building structure and replace with a modern two-story structure.

‘Albion continues to expand its production in the Isle of Man and to facilitate this growth we wish replace the old derelict office structure with modern two-story workshops complimenting the architectural visual impact of Phase One.’

The application will be considered by the planning committee in due course.