Hawick knitwear firm takeover seeks 60 staff

Duffle-coat maker Gloverall is seeking up to 60 extra staff after taking over a Hawick knitwear firm in administration.

Most of Peter Scott's 140 employees were made redundant in May.

A skeleton staff remained in post and it has now emerged the new owners are looking to recruit more workers.

Gloverall's finance director Walter Goulding said they were continuing to employ 18 people from Peter Scott and were looking to take on up to 60 staff.

He said: "The administrators had more or less decimated the workforce.

"There were no knitters or production staff left.

"But the Peter Scott brand is an excellent product and we want to get production up and running again."

The company has targeted September to start production again from the Scottish Borders site.

Mr Goulding said: "For that to happen we need to take on staff and we are looking at a figure in the region of up to 60 initially.

"We are looking at the production facility because the building is old and not ideal but the Made in Scotland label is very important so we will be staying in Hawick."

Gloverall intends to take on 50% of the previous Peter Scott workforce for the time being with possible expansion next year.

Mr Goulding said: "Our firm is pretty big in the Far East and we want to develop new markets.

"The plan is to get the production going again at Hawick and next year as the business grows hopefully we will be in a position to expand."

Borders MP Michael Moore, the Secretary of State for Scotland, said: "It is good news that this vital local company will now restart production and hopefully will have a strong future."