Brintons Carpets cuts 70 office staff in Kidderminster

Carpet company Brintons is to axe 70 jobs as part of a cost-cutting programme at its Worcestershire base.

The firm was bought out by the Carlyle Group last month in a £40m deal to secure its future.

Brintons employs 1,700 people globally, of which 700 are in the UK. It plans to lose 70 mainly office-based staff in Kidderminster, a spokesman said.

The jobs will go when its three Kidderminster sites are reduced to two by the end of November.

The company said it planned to vacate its Exchange Street site.

'Unprecedented challenges'

Until its recent sale, the firm had been in the hands of the same family for more than 200 years.

Don Coates, managing director, said: "We deeply regret the loss of any jobs, but these steps are necessary to reduce our costs in light of worsening economic conditions and return the company to profitability.

"To compete effectively in the global market, we need to change the way we do business - we need to deliver more with less.

"With the recent investment from Carlyle, we have the opportunity to secure the long-term future of the business which has seen the impact of the unprecedented challenges facing carpet manufacturers during the downturn."