The worsening economy and high interest payments have forced British Vita (Manchester / UK; www.britishvita.com) to cut more than 10% of its workforce in the North West of England. The company currently has debts of EUR 663m. In December 2008, it reached a standstill agreement with lenders, which is in force until the end of March 2009. The company made around 80 people redundant in the region in the final quarter of 2008, leaving 750 employed at 10 facilities producing foam and industrial polymers.

The company said that the job losses, which were mainly among temporary employees, were necessary for the long term future of the business. It added that there are no plans for further significant redundancies in the region.

British Vita was acquired by US private equity group Texas Pacific (Fort Worth, Texas) in 2005 following a hostile takeover bid – see Plasteurope.com of 07.04.2005.