115 jobs lost as textiles factory shuts down

Desmonds textiles factory in County Fermanagh is set to shut its doors on Tuesday with the loss of 115 jobs.

The shutdown of the Irvingstown facility follows on from the closure of the firm's plants in Omagh, County Tyrone and Swatragh, County Londonderry. Desmonds has now shed around 475 jobs as part of a restructuring programme that will see workload transferred to the company's overseas operations.

However, the firm will retain one factory in Northern Ireland to meet a specialised need for jeans production, in addition to its global headquarters and central warehousing function at Drumahoe, County Londonderry, and its London design office, employing a total of almost 800 staff.

A statement from the company blamed economic pressures for the decision. It added: “The dramatic changes taking place in this industry have been evident for some time and have presented immense challenges to clothing manufacturers in Northern Ireland. Had we not responded early by developing an international manufacturing base, it would have led inevitably to the demise of the business to the greater economic detriment of Northern Ireland.

“We must continue to pursue this strategy to ensure that we have a globally competitive company based in Northern Ireland, providing a core of employment and offering knowledge-based jobs in a dynamic business.”

(CL)