BMW‘s Mini production plant in Oxford is to stop production for an extra three days in January, a spokeswoman said on Monday.
Production stopped on Sunday for an extended four-week Christmas break (as already reported on just-auto) due to a fall in sales.
The plant will now shut down between 9-11 January – five days after workers return from the Christmas break on 5 January. The spokeswoman said the closure for an extra weekend next month was to match output with demand.
All staff at the plant, including agency workers, would be paid their basic wages over the shutdown. However, 290 of the agency staff on Sunday worked their final shifts.
Mini sales in the UK fell 58% last month and were down 13% year to date. However, the company will soon launch the redesigned convertible version, which should give sales a lift. Production of the previous model ended earlier this year.
See also: UK: Mini Xmas shut-down extended
