Johnstons mill to close off Elgin stores and coffee shop
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
LOCAL employer Johnstons of Elgin will temporarily close its Elgin mill shops and cafe today.
The luxury Scottish cashmere manufacturer has announced the temporary closure of its five UK stores to try to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
The company operates shops and coffee shops at its Hawick mill as well as Elgin, and has stores in Edinburgh, London and St Andrews.
Some 110 staff are affected between the sites. There are 65 staff affected by the Elgin store closure, many of whom work on a part-time basis.
In the coming days the company will hold discussions with staff on the arrangements during the closure. It expects to have everyone back at work when the current situation is resolved.
Chief executive, Johnstons of Elgin CEO Simon Cotton, said: "It is with the health of both our customers and staff in mind that we have decided to close our stores with immediate effect.
"We will of course, let everyone know when they re-open.
"This is a difficult time that we all find ourselves in and we want to keep our customers and our community aware of our plans."
Mr Cotton added: "Our family-owned business has overcome many difficulties in its 222-year history. We will do so again by remaining focused on what is most important to us: our employees, customers and communities.
"We want to thank our amazing retail staff for their dedication and look forward to reopening with them as soon as possible. They are a wonderful team."
Mill production will continue, and the company has put in place "robust new procedures" to reduce the risk of infection being spread between employees.
Most of the firm’s production is currently for the autumn/winter season and it anticipates that trade customers will be preparing for a strong recovery later in the year.
Mr Cotton added: "Although we are seeing significant impact on spring/summer, our future order book is still strong and, because we make everything from fibre to finished products, we are not being affected by disruption to supply chains."
