Bed firm Cumfilux axes jobs over move

Up to 70 manufacturing jobs are being axed in Dudley after a bed maker announced that it is moving its production to Kent.

Cumfilux, part of the Simmons Bedding Group, will stop making beds at its site in Netherton in three months. The shock news was broken to workers at the factory yesterday afternoon.

Managers at the firm, on the Hulbert Industrial Estate in Cinder Bank, said the decision to transfer production to its factory in Rochester, Kent, had been made due to the "worsening retail environment".

They said a redundancy consultation process was under way for workers.

A statement issued by the firm said: "Simmons Bedding Group, makers of Sleepeezee, Simmons, Cumfilux and Nestledown branded beds is to transfer production from its factory in Dudley to its factory in Rochester, Kent. The worsening retail environment which is unlikely to see any real improvement until 2013 has created the need for us to realign our business with prevailing market conditions.

"The transfer of production to Rochester will take place on a phased basis over the next three months and deliveries and service to our retail customers will be unaffected."

A worker, who asked not be named, said there were between 60 and 70 people working at the Dudley factory. "The amount of work had fallen earlier this year and we had gone down to four and three day weeks. There were also about 16 redundancies a couple of months ago. But we had gone back up to a five day week and things seemed to be busier."

Originally set up in the 1980s it had been based at a bigger plant in Pensnett and at its peak the company employed nearly 250 people. It was later sold to Simmons and moved to its current base about 10 years ago. Its customers include Dreams and Tesco Direct.