Bendicks Winchester redundancies start

18-Aug-2011 - Last updated on 19-Aug-2011 at 10:56 GMT

Storck has started making redundancies as it prepares to close its Bendicks manufacturing operation in Winchester.

Bendicks' German parent firm announced in April that it would consolidate production in East Germany with the loss of 84 jobs, following a 30-day consultation.

The process of winding down production started at the end of July, although the Winchester, Hampshire site will remain open to finish producing Christmas ranges.

A Bendicks spokeswoman refused to give any further details of when the site would close and what Storck planned to do with it in the future.

Critical mass

Announcing the site closure in April Storck MD Thomas Huber said: "Despite our best efforts to re-launch the Bendicks brand and diversify into new flavours and categories, we have not been able to drive the critical mass to support an independent manufacturing plant for Bendicks products only in the UK.”

Some 30 staff will stay on in Winchester to support marketing and sales for the Bendicks and Storck brands in the UK.

Storck's brands include Werther's Original and Riesen and Dickmann's in Germany. It acquired Royal Warrant holder Bendicks in 1988.