Shirtmaker to axe up to 70 jobs in Derry

Up to 70 jobs are to be axed at a shirt manufacturing plant in Co Derry, it was announced today.

The Savile Row Company confirmed the job cuts at its Castledawson factory were due to falling orders.

As bosses entered into consultation with union representatives over the redundancies, Managing Director Jeffrey Doltis expressed regret at the decision.

“The reality is that we have no choice,” he said.

“We face increasing international competition from EU and other countries in the Mediterranean region. ”We’ve struggled to maintain competitiveness and therefore existing customer relationships are coming to an end.“

Established in 1938, it has been manufacturing shirts in the North since 1966 – originally in Belfast and Tobermore before relocating to Castledawson.

As well as making quality made to measure products, the firm offers an alterations and monogramming service, along with online and own label businesses.

But despite the cuts, Mr Doltis insisted the Savile Row Company remains committed to the town.

He added: “Our staff have been fantastic and the mail order division of the business is going well.

“It is our intention to relocate our call centre to Castledawson which will create new jobs in the near future.”

Meanwhile, top IT company Fujitsu today announced it is to create 30 new jobs in Belfast with the establishment of a centre of excellence.

The firm is making a £3.2m (€4.7m) investment as part of an expanding service to one of its customers, the Oracle Corporation.

The new posts, to be filled over the next two years, will boost the 25 staff already employed by Fujitsu at its Holywood Road site in the city.

Michael Crow, Head of Fujitsu’s Application Services in the North described the expansion as a response to significant growth in a primary market.

“In response to this market opportunity and, given the competitive advantages offered by Northern Ireland, we have selected Belfast as the location for a new specialist hub that will centralise future development and support growth in this important business segment,” he said.

“We are confident that the availability of a highly skilled workforce, combined with Invest NI’s continued support, will provide a firm foundation to enable us to fully develop our Oracle Practice in Northern Ireland.”