Black Country sofa boss: Saving remaining jobs the priority after 84 redundancies
The managing director of Black Country sofa manufacturing business is hoping to attract fresh investment to save the remaining 120 jobs there.
Ultra Furniture on Pensnett Estate, Kingswinford, has been forced to downsize after it lost a major retail contract, but Glenn Aston says safeguarding the remaining staff is now his number one priority.
The privately-owned company has made 84 redundancies – some of them voluntary – following a consultation period which started before Easter.
It followed the loss of production on an upholstery line going into a single retail customer.
Mr Aston said the factory had been on its scheduled Easter shutdown and other retailer's orders are understood to be unaffected.
"I've had a number of priorities over the past few days, but the main one is the preservation of the business and the remaining jobs," he emphasised.
Mr Aston said that Ultra Furniture, which has been going for 30 years, had been the subject of intense trade speculation for a number of weeks since the loss of that one retail contract.
"Much of it wildly inaccurate, he said. "Following the loss of that contract it was necessary for the company to explore options available to ensure that the business is around.
"We have lots of options available. We are taking steps to safeguard the future of the business and the 120 employees," he added.
