Specsavers-owned lens facility Aston Labs is facing closure putting 200 jobs at risk, the multiple has announced.
A consultation has commenced on plans to move the lab’s current workload to other sites in the UK and Europe.
Specsavers’ supply chain director Sean Lawe said: ‘Regretfully we have announced that Aston Labs, a Specsavers-owned facility providing optical lenses to stores in the UK and Ireland, is being considered for possible closure.
‘The site in Birmingham employs 200 people, who have unfortunately been told that their current roles are at risk of redundancy. If the closure went ahead, the proposal is that Aston Labs’ workload would be absorbed by a number of other Specsavers manufacturing sites in the UK and Europe.'
Specsavers said it would invest to ensure UK manufacturing remained an efficient and cost effective option.
Lawe added: ‘We have entered a period of collective consultation with those affected in order to discuss the proposals and whether redundancies can be avoided or mitigated. If there are any job losses we will offer full redundancy packages and support including making every effort to offer alternative employment within the wider Specsavers business. We recognise that this is a difficult time for those affected and are working closely with everyone involved in the proposed changes.'