Magherafelt: Tobermore Concrete creates 95 jobs

The new jobs include sales, operations and production with 25 jobs already in place

A concrete paving manufacturer in Magherafelt, County Londonderry is creating 95 new jobs.

Tobermore Concrete, which manufactures paving and walling for the UK and Ireland, is planning to invest £30m in new production facilities.

The Department for the Economy said the jobs will generate nearly £2.5m in additional salaries for the local economy.

The firm hopes this investment will allow it to target new markets.

The new roles include sales, operations and production with 25 jobs already in place.

Invest Northern Ireland has offered £800,000 in financial support.

Managing director David Henderson told BBC News NI the business has been incredibly busy.

"Our strategy has been to invest every year to modernise our equipment and machines so our customers get the best products available in the world.

"Our customers are from Ireland, both north and south, and all of the UK. We are also looking to send some bricks to Singapore this year and that would be a big one for us.

"We are excited by the next stage of our growth plans, which requires the major expansion of our current facilities and significant investment in recruitment and marketing," he said.

Carpet firm jobs warning

Meanwhile, around a quarter of the workforce are at risk of redundancy at the Portadown-based firm Ulster Carpets.

The company said up to 70 jobs are under threat and that it has entered a formal consultation period with unions.

Portadown-based Ulster Carpets has said up to 70 jobs are under threat

Much of the company business is reliant on supplying hotels and cruise ships, which have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Ulster Carpets said it hopes most of the job losses will be through voluntary redundancy.