Editing Colne (section)

==Economy==
[[File:Weaving shed, Queen Street Mill - geograph.org.uk - 680867.jpg|thumb|right|A typical [[weaving shed]] at [[Queen Street Mill]] Textile Museum, Burnley]]
Colne's former cotton industry has all but disappeared. Many of the textile weaving mills that used to punctuate the landscape have been demolished to make way for new retail outlets and modern housing. Others lie semi-derelict, but the best examples continue to provide jobs for local residents by accommodating new manufacturing and service businesses. Strong growth has been experienced in precision engineering, particularly associated with the aerospace sector, as [[Rolls-Royce Aerospace]] operates a large [[wide chord]] fan-blade manufacturing facility in nearby [[Barnoldswick]].

The town's main employment area is located at Whitewalls,<ref>[http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/office_of_the_chief_executive/lancashireprofile/areas/peconc.asp?sysredir=y ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926213058/http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/office_of_the_chief_executive/lancashireprofile/areas/peconc.asp?sysredir=y |date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> which sits astride the boundary with [[Nelson, Lancashire|Nelson]] adjacent to Junction 14 on the [[M65 motorway]]. To help stimulate development an undeveloped 5 hectare area of the estate was designated as part of the East Lancashire Enterprise Zone in December 1983 making it, at that time, the smallest Enterprise Zone in the country. This successful estate now extends to over 27 hectares and is home to a wide range businesses including a large [[abattoir]]. Walshaw House, the headquarters of the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust, which occupies a recent extension to the estate, reflects recent growth in the service sector.

The adjacent retail park contains a large [[ASDA]] supermarket and stores for Next and DFS. Boundary Mill Stores, one of the first factory outlets in the UK, was established here in 1983, but in 2008 it moved into purpose built premises closer to the end of the M65 motorway. In 2013, it is the borough's largest employer, and has stores in [[Grantham]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], [[Walsall]] and [[Rotherham]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us &#124;Boundary Mill Stores UK|url=http://www.boundarymill.co.uk/bou_about.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221055014/http://www.boundarymill.co.uk/bou_about.html|archive-date=21 February 2009|access-date=5 August 2014|publisher=Boundarymill.co.uk}}</ref>

Another local success story was Lyon's Tours, whose headquarters were off Albert Road, close to the town centre. A family-run business, in the 1950s it became one of the first UK tour operators to offer overseas holidays to its customers. The company became part of ''[[Airtours]]'' when David Crossland purchased a series of small travel agencies across Lancashire in 1972, which in turn merged with the [[Thomas Cook|Thomas Cook Group]] in June 2007.