Bentley workers 'shocked and angry' at job cuts

Workers at luxury car maker Bentley have been left shocked and angry after the firm announced up to 275 job losses, a union has said.

The manufacturer, based in Crewe, Cheshire, confirmed the cuts after it saw its operating profits fall to £187m in 2025 - a 42% drop when compared to 2024.

Bentley said it was part of "overall efficiency activities", which would affect management, agency and non-manufacturing employees, but investment would continue at its Pyms Lane site.

Karen Lewis, regional officer at the GMB union, told BBC Radio Stoke: "[The workers] are very shocked but also quite angry as well."

She said the company was one of the biggest employers in the area, with people commuting from Liverpool and further afield to work there.

"People are obviously upset and angry because they see the bonuses that have been paid to managers over the years," she said.

Lewis said the industry had "taken a beating" since the Covid pandemic and it had also been affected by US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

"But the rich are still buying cars," she added, "and it's our members, the workforce, who are still working day-in, day-out to create these luxury cars. So this has come as a big shock."

Prof David Bailey, a motor industry expert at Birmingham Business School, said he had family working at Bentley as agency staff and he was "really worried" for them.

He said President Trump's tariffs had affected sales in the US – Bentley's biggest market – while the firm was also facing challenges in China.

"The UK car industry is in a low-volume crisis," he said. "Output is at something like a 70-year low.

"To some degree, Bentley has been protected from that because we live in a very unequal world and very rich people are still buying cars but it's still affected."

However, Bailey said the company remained "well-positioned", particularly given its seven consecutive years of profit and the £2.5bn investment in its Crewe factory, announced in 2022.

"Longer term, I think it's well placed but in the short term, it's got some real difficulties," he added.

Bentley chief executive and chairman Dr Frank-Steffen Walliser said the company was investing in its factory "at unprecedented levels", but needed to make "some difficult decisions" to ensure its long-term competitiveness.

"I want to express my sincere appreciation to those affected - we are committed to supporting each individual with care, guidance and assistance throughout this transition," he added.

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