Staff laid off at Blackburn firm as profits fall (From Lancashire Telegraph)
When news happens, text LT and your photos and videos to 80360. Or contact us by email or phone.
Staff laid off at Blackburn firm as profits fall
10:00pm Monday 23rd March 2009 in Blackburn
BITING: Paul Simmonds, chief executive of the food firm
A CONFECTIONARY firm has laid off 25 staff as it battles changing buying patterns brought on by the recession.
The decision by bosses at Glisten, Hill street, Blackburn, to end its night shift comes as interim results for the six months to December 31, 2008, revealed a £1.3m drop in pre-tax profits.
Paul Simmonds, chief executive of Glisten, said the company was adapting to a changing market and was confident it could emerge in a strong position from the recession.
He said: “We have generated a lot of cash in the first part of this year which is a good sign.
“We are being buffeted by the down-turn but are not being blown over by it.”
Companies are entitled to ‘lay off’ staff as a temporary measure. If work picks up again it can take the workers back on or, if it does not, staff are entitled to redundancy pay after one month.
The latest figures revealed that Glisten’s turnover rose by £1.9m on 2007 to £35.4m, but it was the profit before tax and adjusted items which got hit hardest, falling to £2m from £3.3m.
The company has said its aim is to consolidate its current position following aquisitions in other areas, such as savoury snacking, during recent years.
Mr Simmonds said the fall in profit was down to consumers watching what they were spending in the current uncertain economic times.
He said: “There is lots of switching going on by consumers in what they are buying. Supermarkets are promotional halls at the moment and consumers are changing their buying patterns.
“Glisten has responded swiftly to this challenge with the successful launch of price-fighting ranges offering excellent value for money and securing short term demand.”
Around 140 staff are employed by Glisten at its Blackburn site.
Comments(3)
Paul S.
says...
6:20am Tue 24 Mar 09
ghanto wrote:If you used this kind of grammar on the phone, their staff probably did not understand what you were saying.
This has happened becuase of staffs attitdue and lazyness
When a customer ring glisten to ask the wholesalers and suppliers of sugar starands the reception said i only know one company who are hancocks
when hancocks are visited they say they dont have any delivery
so tough luck change your staff attidude and reception and let the reception know the lists of suppliers
bob1981
says...
10:07pm Fri 27 Mar 09
Firstly MR SIMMONDS, you have laid off more than 25 people so stop lying. This is just a cheap tactic you’re using to save redundancies. Seen as the 4 weeks are up, how many of these people have you actually offered redundancies.
You don’t lay off person A from his normal duties to put person B in his place…. Do you. To be more precise you don’t take someone out of dextrose room, lay him off, and put someone else in his place. Get my drift. .
It’s not the staff, It’s the management, they aint got a clue what goes on and what they doing.
As for this Paul simmonds guy (CEO), he don’t know his **** to his elbow on what goes on inside the factory., apart from paying himself wads of money. If it was some other CEO he would’ve analysed the company, and said instead of employing a production director and factory manager- who are both useless, employ some bloody cleaners. Current managers are bothered about production and not cleanliness...... no wonder they lose customers………. which means staff get laid off.
Why have they not laid off any of the shift managers? Surely you don’t need a production director, a factory manager, a technical manager, 4 shift managers, and a supervisor for 125 staff.
Bit of advice sunny boy….. Do us a favour and resign; I’m sure your current wages will pay for at least 20 of the staff that have been laid off.
Watch this place…plenty more to come.
ghanto says...
10:33pm Mon 23 Mar 09
When a customer ring glisten to ask the wholesalers and suppliers of sugar starands the reception said i only know one company who are hancocks
when hancocks are visited they say they dont have any delivery
so tough luck change your staff attidude and reception and let the reception know the lists of suppliers