Upholstered furniture retailer DFS has confirmed that it plans to close its Berkeley Magna factory in Long Eaton alongside its woodmill as part of a wider strategy to consolidate its UK manufacturing operations.

In a statement on the plans, DFS said: “Having made high quality sofas in the UK for over 50 years, we’re extremely proud of our manufacturing heritage. Over the past few years, we’ve improved performance by investing in our larger UK manufacturing sites, as well as our in-house design capabilities.

“Against the backdrop of increased manufacturing costs, we have comprehensively reviewed our manufacturing strategy. As a result, we are now proposing to consolidate our overall UK manufacturing operations by closing Berkeley Magna, our smallest upholstery factory, along with the Heanor Gate woodmill which supplies it.

“Regrettably this will affect 225 colleagues across the sites. We’re currently supporting them through the process to explore what these plans mean for them. This includes seeking to identify opportunities at our other manufacturing sites and also within the wider group if that becomes necessary.

“We don’t expect any impact on customer orders. Production from these sites would be redistributed to our two larger UK factories along with some trusted long-term supplier partners.”