A hundred jobs are on the line at Bradford carpet group Carpets International.

The firm, based in Toftshaw Lane, is closing its distribution department which employs 100 workers and setting up a new one at its Doncaster site.

The company, which made 350 people redundant just before Christmas in 1996 and a further 500 redundant previously, says the Bradford distribution site is no longer suitable for the number of lorries needed to keep up with sales demands.

Staff have been given three months notice by the company which makes tufted carpet at the factory.

Last month the firm was included in a regional tour made by Confederation of British Industry director general Adair Turner who also visited Yorkshire Water's offices and computer centre in Buttershaw.

Chief executive and managing director Ralph Boe said: "We run our own distribution department which includes about 55 lorries and 100 trailers - although not all these are run from Bradford.

"We looked round at a number of alternatives which would be suitable for the fleet and found the Doncaster site was ideal."

Mr Boe said the firm would try to redeploy as many workers as possible to its other sites at Doncaster, Skelmersdale, Oxford and Northern Ireland.

The group makes some of the best-known carpet brands in the world including Kosset, Abingdon, Wilton Royal, Crossley and Lancaster. It also produces carpet under the CI Carpets brand for the commercial market.

The company is owned by Shaw Industries, a US-based group which has other operations in Australia and Mexico.

It was formed by a management buyout led by Mr Boe in January 1997.

The firm put some of its own cash into the venture and brought in financial backing from American financiers Cravey, Green and Wahlen based in Atlanta, Georgia.

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