Fears for jobs at factory ease

Thursday 28th September 2006, 10:01AM BST.

Uniq, at Minsterley, makes yoghurts, deserts and cottage cheeses for supermarkets. Bosses there put a new three-month action plan in place earlier this year amid growing fears of job losses and slumping profits.

And today the parent company’s chief executive Geoff Eaton said he was optimistic for the future.

But he admitted that the Shropshire site’s recovery was still behind schedule, forcing the company to introduce further “significant changes”.

He said: “Twelve months into our turnaround programme, I am pleased with overall progress in our recovery initiatives in the UK and Northern Europe.”

In a trading update Uniq said business for the first five months of the current financial year was in line with expectations, with sales up by two per cent.

Mr Eaton said: “We remain confident of delivering a significant recovery.”

He predicted a better performance from Minsterley during the second half of the financial year.

The news will give a welcome boost to staff at the Shropshire factory, who were told in May that the factory could not sustain its current losses indefinitely.

Last November it was revealed Uniq had suffered half-year losses of £9.6 million in the UK, and the Minsterley factory shouldered much of the blame. Popular stories:



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