| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Steel processing and distribution |
| Headquarters | Blackburn, Lancashire, England |
| Key people | Fred Walker, Chairman & Founder Jack Walker, Founder |
| Website | www.walkersteel.com |
Walkersteel is a major steel processing company based in Blackburn, Lancashire. The firm was originally established by the Walker family before sons Fred and Jack Walker turned the business into a major concern.
The company was sold to British Steel in 1989 for a fee in excess of £300million - which helped fund Jack Walker's takeover of Blackburn Rovers in early 1991. By this time, the steel company was achieving profits worth close to £50million a year, though the onset of the recession saw the steel market suffer a major slump.
The company is once again independent.
The firm sponsors the Blackburn End Stand of Ewood Park home of Blackburn Rovers, having initially sponsored the Riverside Stand which was opened in 1988, by which time Walker already had a controlling interest in the club but was still a couple of years away from gaining full control.