Brintons to axe 100 jobs

Kidderminster carpet giant Brintons is to close an overseas factory in June with the loss of 100 jobs.

The firm will finish production at its Geelong site in Australia. Cheaper imports from China are being blamed for the closure.

In a statement Brintons, the world's leading supplier of Axminster carpet, said that until recently the company had been operating in a market predominately supplied by manufacturers, operating under the same tariffs.

More recently however the tariffs have reduced and are expected to reduce further due to Chinese imports in the next two years.

Harry Reilly, Brintons' Group Manger, said: "There will be around 100 job losses as a result of the decision to cease production.

"We are very grateful for all the efforts of a loyal and capable workforce but a strong currency, lower tariffs and a growth in imports from lower cost countries has meant that despite actions that generated a significant reduction in costs, the factory was no longer competitive on a world stage."

Brintons will continue as a selling and distribution business in Australia, with products from other factories the firm runs.

Brintons is a 225-year-old privately-owned family company which has a turnover of £96 million and 2,000 employees. It has operations in Portugal and India.