Sandy Row tobacco plant to close

Over 60 jobs look set to go with the closure of a pipe tobacco plant in south Belfast it emerged today.

The owners of Murray and Sons said it was proposing to close its plant on Sandy Row with the loss of 63 jobs because of “a fall in global demand for pipe tobacco as well as rising costs”.

A spokesperson for the firm said that the decision was regrettable given its 200-year history in Belfast.

"Whilst our production is decreasing by an average of 7% per year, our costs are rising by 10%," he said.

"It has therefore been concluded that we can be more competitive if we outsource our pipe tobacco production to an external supplier.”

The firm, which is owned by British American Tobacco, sells its products to 45 countries around the world.

Established in Belfast in 1810, the firm produces well-known pipe tobacco brands such as Dunhill, Erinmore and Craven and became a member of the British American Tobacco Group as part of the merger with Rothmans International in June 1999.

(MB/GMCG)