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Isle of Wight: Uncertainty for Plumb Centers

Stores` future in the balance

By Richard Wright - Friday, November 21, 2008
WHETHER Newport and Sandown branches of Plumb Center will escape a widespread company cull is not yet known.
Wolseley, the parent group of Plumb Center, which specialises in supplying plumbers and heating engineers with materials and equipment, announced this week more than 200 branches throughout the country would be axed.
The latest redundancies represent about 15 per cent of UK staff and come as part of Wolseley slashing 15,000 jobs worldwide this year.
The firm announced the cuts alongside a 45 per cent slump in first-quarter profits. It has been hit hard by the collapse in the property market and housebuilding.
A Wolseley spokesman said consultation was currently taking place with staff and details of branches to close would be announced in the coming weeks.
Plumb Center branches are at Newport’s Riverway Industrial Estate and Lake Industrial Way, Sandown.

Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk