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<title>BBC NEWS | England | Hereford/Worcs | China firm quits after 250 years</title>
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Saturday, 30 September 2006, 11:18 GMT 12:18 UK
<a name="startcontent"></a>
<h2>China firm quits after 250 years</h2>


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		<img height="152" hspace="4" align="left" vspace="4" border="0" width="203" alt="Generic picture of china" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39542000/jpg/_39542271_china203.jpg" />
	
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<B>Fine porcelain maker Royal Worcester has ended production in a city that has been its home for more than 250 years.</B>
<P>
The last 15 production workers left the Worcester firm's Severn Street factory on Friday. Work has been moved to Stoke-on-Trent and abroad to cut costs.
<P>
The firm that bore the city's name and the Royal warrant, was founded in 1751 and has made some of the finest porcelain in the world.
<P>
The old factory is provisionally part of a new redevelopment in Worcester.
<!-- E SF -->
<P>
<b>'Redundancies inevitable'</b>
<P>
At its height, the firm employed nearly 1,000 people but changing tastes and cheaper imports have seen that number fall drastically.
<P>
Only porcelain painters now remain at the site.
<P>
About 100 staff were made redundant in 2003 and another 100 went in 2005.
<P>
At the time, management said the redundancies were inevitable due to falling demand for traditional products, and were part of a restructuring of its manufacturing. 
<P>
The site is now in line to be part of the new Waterside redevelopment, which could see up to 400 homes, shops and cafes being built in Worcester.
<P>
The Royal Worcester and Spode group has operations in Stoke-on-Trent and North America.
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        <b>RELATED INTERNET LINKS</b><br />
        
            <a href="http://www.royal-worcester.co.uk/">Royal Worcester</a><br />
                    	
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