A restructuring programme by Persimmon Homes could result in 600 jobs being axed – most of them at its recent £537.5m acquisition, Beazer.
But rumours that Beazer’s two Torwood factories at Ipswich and West Lothian, which produce prefabricated housing, could be sold, are being called into question by Beazer Partnerships.
Andy McCosh, Beazer Partnerships’ divisional marketing director, said: ‘As far as we are concerned, the partnership business is still fully staffed and managing all its current contracts as well as new ones.
‘We, and our partnership partners, the Amphion Consortium, have had a number of assurances from Persimmon and, as a management team, we are working constructively with Persimmon as to how we can help their agenda.’
The Torwood2 factory, which was officially opened in October last year, has been building up towards its projected 1,500 prefabricated kits per year.
Persimmon’s slimming down exercise aims to save the com-pany £20m a year and, according to industry sources, at least 10 offices are likely to close, including Beazer Homes headquarters in Bath. Others earmarked for closure include two of Persimmon’s own offices in Doncaster and Edinburgh.
When Persimmon bought Beazer it announced it would be keeping the West Lothian Torwood factory but had not decided on the future of the Torwood2 factory in Ipswich.
A spokesperson for the com-pany confirmed this week that that situation remains unchanged.
According to Building magazine, John White, Persimmon’s group chief executive, ‘is not interested’ in prefabricated buildings.
