Messrs. Jaques & Clark’s Boot Factory

ANOTHER 186 county shoe workers are to lose their jobs as a result of factory closures — and 35 employees at a printing machinery firm also face the dole. Jaques and Clark, one of Rushden's oldest shoe firms, plans to stop manufacturing by December with the loss of 90 jobs. And another 96 jobs will go when the Rushden-based DB Group closes one of its Northampton factories later this year. Both firms blame a cut in orders.

Jaques and Clark, which has its factory in Midland/Station Road, was started in 1890 and makes men's medium grade shoes for mail order, multiples and the wholesale trade. A director, Mr Tom Thacker, broke the news to the workers. He said that with future trading in the footwear manufacturing industry so uncertain, the company had entered into consultation with the shoe union Nuflat and other appropriate authorities, to cease manufacturing on December 1.

He said that a total of 90 full and part-time workers would be affected. Many of them were long serving employees. Mr Thacker, who has been with the firm for 52 years, said he could not at this stage say what would happen to the firm.

Mr John Denton, managing director of the DB shoes group, said the decision to close DB Shoes (Northampton) was due to serious losses made over the last 18 months. In the present difficult economic climate there was also a need to conserve resources within the rest of the group. The Northampton factory makes men's flow moulded and fashion shoes and there had been a down turn in orders. Mr Denton said the DB Development Sandals factory at Northampton would continue on its present site for the time being, but might have to be re-located in the future. The Rushden and Leicester factories continued to work full time but it would be necessary to modernise plant in the Rushden factory. Mr Denton said 96 employees at Northampton would be made redundant over the next two or three months on the completion of existing orders.

About 35 of the 200-strong workforce at the Gestetner printing machinery works in Wellingborough are being made redundant by the end of next month. Works manager Mr Roy Tamplin said the current trade recession had meant machinery sales had not met the firm's budget. Short-time working has also been introduced. But he stressed that reorganisation of outside subcontractors and the switching of work from the London works meant good long-term prospects for the Finedon Road Industrial Estate factory.