Wine firm to close its HQ
A Shropshire wine wholesaler which was sold for more than £133 million will close its headquarters in Telford next month - more than 25 years after the company was launched.
Western Wines, which employs about 70 people at its base in Central Park, Telford, is part of US giant Constellation.
The company confirmed some jobs would be axed from Telford but others could be saved if workers chose to relocate. The Telford headquarters will close on October 2.
Western Wines, which created the Kumala wine brand, was the largest independent importer and distributor in the UK before being sold off to Canadian company Vincor International two years ago.
Last year Constellation Brands bought Vincor and is now closing down Western Wines's offices in Telford.
A spokeswoman for Constellation said: "With effect from October 2, the operations of Western Wines will move to Constellation Europe's Guildford and Bristol offices, as a result of which the Telford office will then close.
"Western Wines's products will be available to our customers and we are very excited about the potential for these product ranges."
She said some of the workers were being made redundant but others had been offered a chance to relocate to Guildford or Bristol.
Western Wines today confirmed it was closing but would not comment on jobs.
The company was originally set up in 1980 by Roger Gabb. He created the Kumala brand in 1995 and then sold the company to Vincor in 2004.
He led Western Wines from being largely an importer and supplier of private-label wine for the UK multiple grocers, to become one of the UK's largest branded suppliers of South African wine and a leading supplier to all retailers.
A second branch of Western Wines in Stellenbosch, South Africa, is also believed to have been affected.
The closure of the Telford base is another blow for the borough which comes in the same month as it was announced that 665 jobs could be axed at Celestica in Priorslee. The jobs are now undergoing consultation and company bosses said if they win new contracts some of the jobs could be saved.
By Business Editor Amy Bould and Kirsty Marston
