Karndean and council set to shed workers (From Evesham Journal)

Karndean and council set to shed workers

11:55am Thursday 2nd July 2009

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ONE of the Vale’s major employers will make redundant up to 10 per cent of its workforce after it announced ‘difficult trading conditions’.

Luxury flooring specialists Karndean, whose UK headquarters is based on the Vale Business Park in Evesham, are set to scrap 15 jobs as the company attempts to shore up its future in the face of falling business.

A statement released by Karndean explained that during what are proving to be difficult trading conditions, the company, which employs around 150 people, was seeking new investment opportunities that would drive forward the future of the business without adding further costs.

Karndean’s CEO, Mark Sefton, said: “The whole business community in the UK has been suffering, and as a durable goods business we are more sensitive to the economic cycle.

“In the last couple of months we have been trying to cut costs and boost sales, but have concluded we need to now reduce staff levels by about 15 posts.

“This was announced to staff last Thursday, and we are going through the due process of consultation with those staff affected.

"We want to make this as smooth as possible with the team.

“The aim is to secure the future of the company, and are confident that we can ride out the downturn to continue to be a long-term major employer in the Evesham area.”

Meanwhile, Wychavon District Council has announced it will also be making some redundancies to help it cope with the impact of the recession.

An exact figure for the losses has not been announced but council bosses say if jobs do have to go it is ‘likely to be a small number’.

Council staff are also being asked to volunteer to reduce their working day or cut the number of days they work a week, while some vacant posts will be scrapped. A recruitment freeze is also already in place.

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