46 lose jobs at Grimsby motorhome company
GRIMSBY motorhome manufacturer Auto Trail has shed nearly a quarter of its workforce as it deals with a fall in orders for the luxury vehicles.
A total of 46 jobs have been lost at the Europarc plant, despite attracting £6.75-million worth of orders from a major show in Birmingham.
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The Auto Trail site on Europarc.
The figure was below the previous two years’ sales as the credit crunch and uncertain outlook crushes consumer confidence. The announcement came as economic experts yesterday forecast the beginning of the anticipated recession.
Stuart Turpin, joint managing director of the firm, said: “The current world economic situation has affected the rate of sale of all luxury items. Our motorhomes certainly fit that market sector.
“We have therefore realigned our 2009 production volumes to meet current market demands.”
The losses will leave the firm, which recently doubled the size of its manufacturing facilities, with a workforce of 143.
That is still substantially higher than when it moved to Europarc in 2000, with a team of 84 there to witness the Duke of Kent opening the substantial plant.
That was the start of a £6-million investment in Grimsby by the French-owned parent company Trigano. Mr Turpin said a 30-day consultation period had begun with workers, including a selection process.
He said: “We have enjoyed tremendous growth and have a very experienced workforce that we value, but we cannot buck world trends. We have had to adjust to the market expectation for next year. Whether it is one or 101 jobs it is very, very sad for everyone involved. But we have got to make sure our foundations are good. We are part of a big international group, the group is still very strong, and we need to be fighting fit for the future. In time I hope I can welcome these people back should vacancies arise.”
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by A Motorhome Hire Company, UK
Wednesday, October 22 2008, 9:07AM
“Perhaps if Autotrail Directors had been more focused on their loyal customer base and provided a ¿decent¿ level of customer service ¿ they would not have to make these redundancies. When times get hard, it is the companies that have ¿exceeded¿ the customers expectations and gone the extra mile for customer service, that survive. Word and mouth is very powerful ¿ people always tell others when they have received poor service!”
by Growler2, Gy
Wednesday, October 22 2008, 7:58AM
“Partner of worker...Be careful which one your fella joins as some of them are dodgy as the foreigners that walk our streets lol..platinumescorts is a genuine site,trust me,wink wink..Oh an it is a shame too regards the workers,hope they all find something soon,especially this time of year”
by Joss, GY
Wednesday, October 22 2008, 7:43AM
“Partner of worker, can you add my partner to the escort list, because there is no way my partner would become a bum on the dole. Unlike some people in this town my partner wants to work for a living.”
by Joshua, Cleethorpes
Tuesday, October 21 2008, 6:12PM
“I've been looking at this story since it first appeared on here and it seems strange that comments relating to the management of the company have been removed or heavily edited.
People would think a lot more of the management of companies if they stood up to the criticism. Censorship just shows that they are trying to hide something.
Admitedly, I doubt that a pay cut for the owners / directors / management would not pay the salary for the unlucky 46 staff, it might mean that one or two might be able to still keep their jobs.”
by Partner of worker, Grimsby
Tuesday, October 21 2008, 5:33PM
“I am a partner of a worker at autotrail potentially losing his job in 2 weeks.. he will walk out of the door with his head held high and become a male escort before he signs that dole form!”