According to the local Nelson paper, Pendle Today, the company said the redundancies were due to a decline in sales.
In October 2008, the workforce at Nelson was told that as many as 60 jobs were at risk. The 26 employees will leave their posts at the end of the month.
A spokesman said: “During 2008, Cott has been responding to significant swings in both input costs and a decline in the overall own-label market of soft drinks.
“In the challenging economic conditions, Cott has to take action to maintain competitiveness to support our wide range of customers and secure our overall business for the future.
“Throughout all the sites and functions in the UK, the business has challenged its fixed and variable costs. In so doing, it has reduced headcount in all sites, reduced discretionary costs and revised its 2009 pay plans for all employees from shop floor to board level.
“We expect, by June, that further jobs will go in our warehousing operation as we invest in automation and reduce stocks of finished goods.
“The Nelson site is a key plant in the Cott network, with unique capabilities, servicing a wide range of customers and employing over 250 people.
“Cott reviewed a range of scenarios before taking these steps, but regrettably these actions are necessary as a result of the overall market decline in own-label soft drinks, and the need to maintain competitiveness to protect the long-term future of all of our sites.”
Cott Beverages is one of the largest manufacturers of soft drinks, and has manufacturing, marketing, product development and customer facilities in Canada, the UK and the US.
Source: Pendle Today
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