LOCAL businesses are beginning to take advantage of a new service aimed at matching suppliers with customers.

The Regional Supply Network is operated locally by Business Link Bolton and Bury.

Some of the more off-beat items on the wanted list include:

A six-foot high plastic sweet jar able to hold 250 pounds of sweets;

Wall-mounted trouser presses;

A new generation of mini-bars for Russia.

Other people want suppliers of glass paper weights, aluminium tubes for tent poles and wooden bases for statuettes.

Andrew Gale of Business Link said: "When purchasers register with us we take a few basic details about their company and then enter their needs on our database.

"We are one of 14 operations in the North-west and if our own files cannot find a suitable supplier we put the request to other members in the region.

"We can also access suppliers throughout England on the other nine regional networks."

Mr Gale, who is based at Link House in Walmersley Road, Bury, said the service was free because funding was supplied by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Business Link Bolton and Bury is a division of Bolton Bury Training and Enterprise Council.

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