THE Strabane clothing company Adria, which makes hosiery and lingerie for the British, European and US markets, has confirmed it will be creating more than 800 new jobs over the next five years as part of a £33 million sterling investment.
The expansion includes the construction of a new factory in Newry, Co Down, which will employ 500 people. The remainder of the jobs will result from an expansion of Adria's existing sites.
Sites are still under consideration for the second new factory.
Along with the factories at Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, and Campsite, outside Derry, it will produce lingerie for major British retailers. The factory in Newry is expected to be in production by the end of the year. It will bring Adria's total workforce to nearly 2,500.
Adria chairman Mr Terry McCartney described the investment, which is being supported by nearly £11 million in grants from the IDB, as the largest ever made by the company in its Northern Ireland operations. But he said that Strabane, Co Tyrone, would remain the core of the company's business in the North.
