Polestar Varnicoat facing closure

In a statement to staff, dated 2 January, Polestar chief operating officer Peter Andreou said: "Polestar has today announced its intention to close Polestar Varnicoat which currently employs a total of 63 people.

"In making this proposal, Polestar will consolidate its gravure printing facilities at Polestar Sheffield to ensure we maximise operational efficiencies whilst constantly reviewing our ability to mitigate difficult market conditions."

The Pershore-based Varnicoat gravure site was reduced to a single-press satellite operation to Polestar Sheffield in 2011, following a 90-day consultation at the then 300-staff facility.

Following that capacity cutting exercise, which was sparked by the loss of Northern & Shell's Express Newspaper supplements to Roto Smeets, Varnicoat was left with its current workforce of 63.

Unite national officer Steve Sibbald said: "We're in consultation [but] it's likely to close. The major change happened two years ago, which left the site with just one old press and we always knew that they were never going to reinvest there.

"It's always a shock when people are losing their jobs but in Varnicoat's case it's definitely not a surprise."