Two best friends have set up a new business in Bradford - and hope its success will spiral.

James Mason and Stephen Sullivan finished university at the same time and set their hopes high on finding dream jobs. Three years later the pair were still searching.

Dissatisfied with the job opportunities available to them, they decided to set up their own business, but it wasn't until a chance meeting in Italy with the director of a leading manufacturer of spiral staircases that a plan was born.

Mr Mason said: "We were in a bar and got talking to this well dressed Italian man who told us all about his company work. It was all very interesting.

"They started off as a small family business in the 1970s, making bespoke spiral staircases.

"He said that through clever marketing and good products they have now grown into a multinational business, exporting 17,000 staircases throughout the world. However, they were still relatively unknown in the UK.

"On hearing this, myself and Steve quickly saw a business opportunity. We explained to him about all the renovation and rebuilding work that was currently going on in the West Yorkshire area and we saw a possible hole in the British market."

The man they were speaking to was Walter Brolli, director of Italian staircase firm Albini & Fontanot.

Mr Mason added: "'We hit it off immediately and he liked our enthusiasm and belief in ourselves.

"We explained our desire to set up our own business and suggested that we could add a valuable arm to his business in the UK.

"We approached him with our idea that we could sell his stairs in the UK and he was very impressed.

"After doing our homework we arranged several meetings with Business Link and local bank mangers and decided to give it a go."

One year on the pair have created their own firm called Stairs Direct UK, which distributes Albini & Fontanot spiral staircases across the UK from its bases in Guiseley and Menston.

Mr Mason said: "We're one of only a few spiral staircase companies in the area yet we can deliver to any address in the UK.

"The stairs are great for new and existing properties.

"With the current interest in home improvements, people are looking for something else to add uniqueness to their homes or offices.

"The stairs are modern but still capture the elegance of the attractive workmanship.

"We're really excited about this new stage in our lives and hope that unlike the stairs themselves, business will go through the roof."