85 Shropshire Uniq dessert factory jobs at risk

A Shropshire dessert factory has confirmed up to 85 management and production roles are at risk due to the loss of a significant amount of sales.

Uniq in Minsterley, near Shrewsbury, announced a review of its desserts operations in the county earlier this year after losing a £10 million contract.

Consultation with union representatives, management and production staff is under way with the firm giving employees the option of voluntary redundancy.

Yesterday Uniq, which employs more than 700 staff, announced its future looked secure for the short-term after a review.

Steve Hill, managing director, said: "We have been aware for some time that we were due to lose significant amount of business to our competitors in April and have been exploring a number of opportunities to try to secure additional volume to replace it.

"Unfortunately we have not been able to make up for the lost business.

"Therefore we do not believe we have any alternative other than to propose a reduction in our headcount in line with the cost savings we need to make in order to secure the long-term future of the site."

The group, which also makes salads and desserts for Costa Coffee and The Co-operative Group, made profits of £4.1 million in 2010, compared to losses of £1.9 million the previous year.