MORE than 150 jobs have been lost at a Bury-based packaging business whose customers include Marks & Spencer and Unilever.

Pulse Flexible Packaging Ltd, which has its headquarters in Bridge Hall Lane, went into administration earlier this month. The firm also has a facility in Saffron Walden, in Essex.

It has not been confirmed how many staff in Bury have lost their jobs, but the majority of the firm’s workforce is based in the town.

Manufacturing has now restarted across both sites.

Jonny Marston and Howard Smith from KPMG were appointed joint administrators of the packaging firm on April 3, after the company "suffered operational challenges", it said, that led to an additional funding requirement.

At the time, the majority of the company's 350-strong workforce was sent home as production at both sites ceased while the administrators assessed whether trade could resume in the immediate term.

Now, the administrators have confirmed that 152 redundancies have been made.

Bury East ward councillor Stella Smith said: “It is not good news at all, and redundancies are very distressing for all involved.

“It is bound to have an impact in our community because any families concerned will now be looking for alternative employment.

“The council and other agencies will help people and work with them to find jobs, and I will help people who have been affected in any way that I can.”

Pulse Flexible Packaging is a producer of flexible packaging for the consumer goods sector.

Its product offering includes easy-open and re-close applications, high barrier films, pouches, flow wrap and reel fed labels.

Mr Marston said: "Thanks to the overwhelming support of both customers and suppliers since our appointment, we have been able to recommence part-production across the business' two sites.

"We are also in dialogue with a number of interested parties in the business, and will continue these discussions over the coming days and weeks in the hope of achieving a sale."

"Unfortunately, however, we have had to make redundancies across the two sites - 152 in total. We are now assisting these employees with their claims for any sums due to them from the Redundancy Payments Service."