NINETY jobs are to go at the Bernstein Group site on the Wingates Industrial Estate, Westhoughton.

Management announced the re-structuring exercise to the 1,100 workforce yesterday afternoon and this morning.

Chairman Barrie Bernstein told the Evening News today that it was hoped the majority of the redundancies would be voluntary.

The kitchen and bedroom products company - founded in Middleton nearly 58 years ago - has expanded dramatically since it moved into Wingates with 150 workers in January, 1989. The company, which has made a multi-million pound investment at Wingates in warehousing and production, has a total of 1,350 workers there and in Middleton.

Mr Bernstein said: "We are a private company and we have never had to do this before in our history. We have held it as long as we can."

He said the redundancies were necessary because of high stocks caused by lower than anticipated sales in the autumn and January.

"In the last four and a half years we have created 950 jobs at the site," he said.

"We are extremely confident that in the future we will restore ourselves to our former glory."

Talks are taking place with GMB union officials.

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