Covid leads to 14 job losses at Selkirk mill

An estimated 14 jobs are to be axed at a Selkirk-based weaving mill as a result of the impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it has been revealed.
Dawn Robson-Bell, managing director of Lochcarron of Scotland, with Princess Anne on a visit to the mill and visitor centre in 2017.Dawn Robson-Bell, managing director of Lochcarron of Scotland, with Princess Anne on a visit to the mill and visitor centre in 2017.
Dawn Robson-Bell, managing director of Lochcarron of Scotland, with Princess Anne on a visit to the mill and visitor centre in 2017.

Bosses at Lochcarron of Scotland, based at Waverley Mill in Rogers Road, say the job cuts are needed to secure the long-term future of the company and are a direct response to a slump in orders due to the pandemic.

It is believed the job cuts will be made across all departments within the business, which labels itself as the world’s leading manufacturer of tartan. With bases in the USA and Canada the truly global brand also has a visitor centre and coffee shop in Selkirk’s Dunsdale Road.

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Managing director Dawn Robson-Bell has expressed her regret at being forced to make the cuts but said it became inevitable as a result of the “devastating” impact the current pandemic was having on the business.

She said: “The dramatic and continued effect of the pandemic on many of our markets both home and abroad has had a major impact on our ability to sustain the business in its current form.

“Over the last few months we have put in place safe working practices around Covid-19 so that we have been able to work with reduced staffing levels to complete valuable orders however, these have not been sufficient for us to operate our production continuously or at full capacity.

“The almost complete loss of the Scottish tourist market this year and the likelihood it will not return until well into 2021 is devastating for the Scottish tourist industry.

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“As with most years, we had geared up for the start of the season in March however, our stocks remain here in Selkirk with little or no chance of these being needed anytime this year.

“Balancing the costs at this time and going forward is crucial to the future of Lochcarron and unfortunately, it is with much regret that we have had to make the hard decision to review staffing levels in Selkirk and the outcome will result in the region of 14 redundancies across a number of areas of the company.

“With this restructuring of staffing levels and other cost savings in place we anticipate this will secure the business and jobs over the coming months through to the time when we will see an increase in orders across the company.”

Staff were informed of the redundancies at meetings held last week with more meetings taking place this week.

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