ONE of Newbury’s major employers could be shedding 10 per cent of its workforce, newburytoday can reveal.
Computer company Micro Focus, based in Old Bath Road, confirmed to us this week that around 30 of its 300 staff in the town could be affected.
Head of corporate communications Tim Brill said: “We’re aware we’re one of Newbury’s larger employers and an active player in the community and the business has grown significantly over the past three years.
“But we have had a careful look at at the shape of the business and we continually review our structures to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers.”
He added: “We are just commencing discussions now but probably around 30 people could be impacted. You have to make changes in business but we do take people’s personal circumstances into account.
“However, we continue to be a growing and successful business and there will be some redeployment across the business.”
Micro Focus is one of the top 200 FTSE companies, said Mr Brill, and “will continue to be a successful British, international software company”.
One employee who asked not to be named said that the proposed redundancies came at a time when the firm was employing 500 people in Eastern Europe but this was denied by Mr Brill.
Micro Focus was founded in 1976 and made a fortune designing, developing and marketing business applications for computers.
In the early 1980s it became the first British micro software company to sell to the Japanese.
Then, after 15 years of rapid growth, Micro Focus hit a downturn and in 1996 significant market losses led to a £10m purge and the sacking of 40 Newbury staff.