Fears for 60 jobs as Caernarfon furniture shop is threatened

Jan 8 2009 By Helen Harper

Gleneagles furniture

THERE are fears for the future of 60 jobs, as staff have been laid off at a furniture store.

Staff at Gleneagle Furniture, on Caernarfon’s Cibyn Industrial Estate, were told last Friday not to come into work this week.

However, a spokeswoman at the factory told the Herald that the business was still trading, but she couldn’t comment further.

Staff are due to meet with managers next Monday.

One member of staff, who did not want to be named, said the news came completely out of the blue.

He was supposed to start back at work this week after the Christmas break.

He said: "On Friday we were told we would be laid off this week, but it could be longer. We’re not sure.

"People were at the factory from the dole handing out forms on Friday so we could get some money.

"We were told to go to the JobCentre on Monday to fill out the forms.

"There is going to be a meeting at the factory next Monday when we will find out more.

"Everybody is down at the moment. We are all worried. We knew nothing about it at all."

The factory, on the Cibyn Industrial Estate was opened in June, 2000, by First Minister Rhodri Morgan, when it traded under the name Caerneagle Furniture Limited.

Sixty jobs were created at the factory as part of a £2m investment.

The factory was also financially supported by the National Assembly.

The company, which is of Irish origin, manufactures a range of bedroom, kitchen and dining room furniture which is distributed across the UK.

The purpose-built Caernarfon factory is the British base for Gleneagle Woodcrafts Ltd, based in Meath, outside Dublin.

Yesterday (Wednesday) a spokeswoman for Gleneagle in Caernarfon said: "We have no comment to make at the moment.

"We are still trading and we have an office full of girls working."

No one was available to comment from the company’s Ireland offices when the Herald went to press.