John Player to lay off 90 workers

The tobacco firm John Player & Sons has announced plans to lay off 90 workers at its cigarette factory in Dublin.

The company said it was planning a phased closure of the factory between now and February as part of a review of its global operations.

John Players & Sons said the decision was not related to the workplace smoking ban introduced earlier this year and would not affect the company's operations in Mullingar, Co Westmeath.