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Michael Hill Jeweller is to shut its Whangarei manufacturing plant, with the loss of 17 jobs.
Founder Michael Hill opened the company's first store in Whangarei in 1979. The chain has now grown to 200 shops -- 40 in New Zealand, 140 in Australia and 20 in Canada.
But the company said it faced stiff competition from Asian manufacturers and was consolidating its manufacturing functions in Brisbane, where the jewellery company operator Michael Hill International is now based.
Group chief executive Mike Parsell told the Northern Advocate that the move meant manufacturing would be closer to the company's supply chain so it could better service its stores.
The Whangarei workers had been offered the chance to fill six vacancies in the expanded Brisbane unit, he said.
Workers who did not take up the offer would get redundancy payments.
- NZPA
