A COMPANY which makes children's car seats and pushchairs has confirmed that it will cease manufacturing at its Andover site at the end of this year.

Britax Römer, an international company which specialises in child safety seats and strollers, began making automotive safety equipment and accessories in 1938, before transitioning to infant equipment in the late 1960s.

It has a large Andover site on Churchill Way West, which was once the firm's UK headquarters.

However, a spokesperson for Britax Römer has now confirmed that, "with regret", the company will no longer be manufacturing or distributing in the town by the end of 2022, as a result of "the current economic climate" and "the need to constantly evolve".

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They said: “The current economic climate, the competitive nature of our industry, and the need to constantly evolve how Britax Römer operates has never been more challenging. We have been faced with a regulation change from R44 to R129 affecting 100 per cent of our car seat range manufactured in Andover within a very short timeframe, a global pandemic, supply interruptions and other difficulties.

"As a result and with much regret, Britax Römer will no longer manufacture in the UK, nor directly distribute its products from Andover as of the end of 2022. This is in no way a reflection of the efforts of our employees or everyone’s hard work and commitment to Britax Römer. To the contrary, we have considerable pride in how our team has been able to manage through this challenging time in such a highly competitive market."

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They continued: "We remain fully committed to the UK market and believe that the new setup will make us more competitive, securing the long-term future of Britax Römer in the UK and Europe. Our sales, marketing, finance, customer service, consumer service and other administrative functions will remain in the Andover area and will be dedicated to the future of our company here in the UK.”

In 2007, 35 workers at the Andover site faced redundancy as part of cutback. 

The Advertiser has asked the company to confirm the number of Andover jobs  affected by this latest change, and how this is being handled, but was told that this information can not be disclosed. 

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