Highly-skilled jobs lost as furniture firm goes under

A COMPANY has cited "very difficult" market conditions as the reason for its financial collapse, with the loss of its entire workforce.

- By JOSHUA HARTLEY

Andrew Paul Furniture, a significant employer in Long Eaton that produced sofas and chairs for big-name brands from its Meadow Lane factory, has ceased trading after a downturn in sales.

The business, which had been trading since May 2010, employed 178 people as of April last year, according to its most recent financial filings. It will soon enter liquidation, meaning all staff will be made redundant and the company's assets will be sold off to try to pay its debts.