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Tyrone Crystal closes with the loss of 31 jobs
Friday, 12 March 2010
The iconic Tyrone Crystal factory – one of Northern Ireland’s flagship industries – will close today with the loss of 31 jobs.
The shutters were down on the Tyrone Crystal shop on Royal Avenue, Belfast, yesterday
The company, which has been trading for almost 40 years, will shut after last-ditch attempts to find a new buyer for the brand failed.
In a statement Tyrone Crystal said it would be entering “an orderly winding down period of its factory processes”.
Established in 1971, it became a global ambassador for Irish craftsmanship, but has been hit by the recession and changing tastes.
Attempts were made to seek a buyer but the company said there had been no interest in acquiring it as a going concern.
Claire Bradley, sales manager at Tyrone Crystal, said the economic downturn had dealt a major blow.
“I’m gutted,” she said. “The unfortunate thing is that crystal-ware itself is a luxury item. The way of the economy means people don’t have as much disposable income and it’s a reflection of how things are in the world.”
Economist John Simpson said Tyrone Crystal had been in difficulty over the last 20 years.
“Gradually, slowly but surely, the market for that type of product, at the price they can make it at, was diminishing,” he said.
“They employed nearly 300 people about 10 years ago, so the tide has been turning against them.
“The other example on this island, Waterford Crystal, has also suffered and much of the crystal is now made at cheaper labour costs and cheaper prices.”
Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster, who is an MLA for the area, said the closure was “a dreadful blow” to the Tyrone economy.
“Tyrone Crystal is not just a manufacturer, it is an iconic brand that has attracted tourism interest,” she said. “It has also made a positive contribution to the wider economy.”
A redundancy clinic will be held today to inform staff of their options.
The area’s MP, Michelle Gildernew, is also seeking an urgent meeting with management and staff to discuss the next step.
“We’ve all got a piece of crystal, it’s something we’ve bought for wedding presents and special occasions,” she said.
“I will cherish the crystal I have at home now because I know that will be the end of crystal produced here by people who have been part of keeping the crystal brand going for decades.”
Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott said he was “deeply saddened”, adding the company’s closure was an “unfortunate sign of the times”.
“Tyrone Crystal has helped put Dungannon on the map for 40 years now and brought a sense of pride to many Tyrone residents, especially when they saw an item of crystal on display far from Dungannon,” he said.
DUP MLA Maurice Morrow called on the Government to help the workforce acquire new skills and employment opportunities.
“I would urge the Minister for Employment and Learning to act quickly on this front,” he said.
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In January of 2010, in good faith, I placed an order for Tyrone Crystal for my shop and prepaid with a check. Stupid me, now it looks like I have lost it all and for my very small business it will be very damaging. And you call this an honorable business? I think not.
Posted by cmb | 05.04.10, 13:45 GMT
sorry to see tyrone crystal closing after all these years of producing quality glass products all we here week after week is job loses and this executive seem to turn a deaf ear they should be hammering gordons browns door to get the tax on industry to the same level as the republic we pay double and cant compete to bring investment and instead of running to america we should be tapping the asian market thats were growth is not america who are taking jobs out of here
Posted by norman.d | 12.03.10, 20:50 GMT
Thankyou T J McClean - although I have noticed my comment was heavily edited by the BT...
Tyrone Crystal was uniquely a product of Northern Ireland and I want to know why it did not attract a financial backer to keep it going. Nice to know though that so much money has gone into keeping the memory of the Titanic alive...
Posted by Merry | 12.03.10, 20:21 GMT
The one thing that nobody has mentioned (sadly) is that the marketplace for crystal craftware has plummeted over the years - people's tastes have changed a lot since out mothers were hoarding crystal vases, glasses, bells and other nick-nacks. Waterford Crystal (the most famous of them all) has shrank into a shadow of its former glory...I guess people prefer cleaner lines for their house interiors with less clutter.
Posted by the real robin | 12.03.10, 17:31 GMT
Merry | 12.03.10, 10:54
I very much agree. As David Ford said 'pointless' before he was forced to humiliatingly back-track. The silly man should have had a bit of back-bone and stuck to what he said but naturally he wanted to keep himself in pole position for the justice role. He has dropped like a brick in my estimation!
The only ones to benefit from Saville have been the greedy lawyers. Why could the UK government not have come out right at the time and admitted that what was done at Bloody Sunday was totally wrong and without excuse? Now after Saville no one is happy.
Tyrone crystal could have done with just a few of the Saville millions and they would have been used to much better effect!
Posted by T J McClean | 12.03.10, 13:57 GMT
Night after night we are treated to those silly stick people cartoon adverts telling us how easy it is to start your own business. Well here is a super tourist attracting business that produces top quality glassware and it is allowed to go to the wall.
-Oh I suppose I shouldn't worry as such items will soon hit our shelves again after being imported cheaply from China and SE Asia just like everything else!
What a total waste of experience skilled craftsmen and a brilliant tourist attraction. A very sad loss of something we could be proud of.
Posted by T J McClean | 12.03.10, 13:41 GMT
How extremely sad. The Factory was a monument to Fr Austin Eustace, who brought Music -Choral Society !(trained at Paris Conservatory) self build housing initiatives,and Industry (researched glass in Poland) into a sad stagnant Town.
Posted by Malachy McAnespie | 12.03.10, 12:40 GMT
You really question the point of government when they cannot step in and rescue an artisan business like Tyrone. Those skills will be lost for ever in an industry of which the province was rightly proud.
It should have been saved under an "Arts" umbrella.
They are utterly useless.
Posted by Stanley | 12.03.10, 12:28 GMT
Very sad news indeed. Tyrone Crystal was a world brand that Northern Ireland could feel justifiably proud of and it's a real shame that it hasn't been able to survive.
Posted by Gerry | 12.03.10, 11:12 GMT
But lets spend millions on Bloody Sunday decades after it happened and has achieved nothing...
Posted by Merry | 12.03.10, 10:54 GMT
Sad. Having grown up in Dungannon and lived in Australia I will cherish my Tyrone crystal which I always bought on my return trips from Down Under. Many Aussie friends have a little piece of Tyrone crystal on display.
Posted by Bert | 12.03.10, 07:42 GMT