Soft drinks firm Cantrell and Cochrane announced tonight that it is to make workers redundant after reversing a decision to rebuild an east Belfast bottling plant destroyed by fire nearly a year ago.
The decision will affect around 55 workers, though the company said it would consult with the trade unions and explore the option of redeploying staff in a bid to minimise the numbers hit.
However Mr Colin Gordon, managing director of C&C Ireland, said: "It is inevitable that redundancies will be unavoidable."
He said the company had reversed the plans to build a new bottling plant in Castlereagh because it had been decided "it would not be appropriate to invest in a new production facility".
However he said the decision did not affect the company's commitment to Northern Ireland, it would continue to supply the local market with its range of products.
The company announced it would be building a new state of the art distribution centre on the Castlereagh site instead of replacing the bottling plant.
Mr Gordon said the decision not to replace the bottling plant had been "very difficult" but the company would remain a major Northern Ireland employer with more than 200 employees.
PA