BOSSES at Typhoo have confirmed that 85 jobs will be lost when its Wirral factory closes for good next month.

The site on Pasture Road in Moreton will close on July 6. 

A spokesperson for the firm said today that the five people who remain in the business will relocate to a Birkenhead-based hub to oversee the day-to-day management of the restructured organisation.

The company said recently that closing its ageing tea blending and packing site is part of a move designed to protect the future of one of Britain's oldest brands.

The company is actively exploring options for a new site and re-employment, but it will be at least one year before a suitable location is ready.

Typhoo Tea Limited's executive chairman, Mike Brehme, said: "Unfortunately the spiralling cost of energy and materials, alongside low levels of productivity achievable at the Moreton factory, make it necessary to close the loss-making site.

"We are actively exploring options for a new site, but it will be some time before a suitable location is identified, fitted out and ready.

"I would like to thank all colleagues who have contributed so much in recent, challenging times and we will do all that we can to assist everyone affected by this announcement.

"The regrettable but necessary changes allow Typhoo to realign its ambitions and refocus on the customer whilst ensuring the same high level of service and great quality tea you expect from one of the UK’s oldest and most recognised brands.

"2023 marks the milestone of 120 years of Typhoo Tea.

"These changes allow us to set the business up for the next generation of discerning tea drinkers.”

Launched in 1903, the famous brand began making tea bags in 1967.

In 1978, production moved to the Moreton site from Birmingham, where it now packs 16,000 tonnes of tea each year, after receiving it from Kenya and Argentina.

Typhoo has said those people who remain in the business will relocate to a hub to oversee the day-to-day management of the restructured organisation.

The firm's rich history includes being the first brand to sell ready-packaged tea and the first tea brand to introduce a green tea blend into the UK.

The company is also home to a wide range of brands in the growing herbal and fruit infusion market.

The brands include Typhoo Tea, Lift, London Fruit & Herb, Heath & Heather, Ridgways, Glengettie, Fresh Brew and Melrose’s. Typhoo is also the leading own-label supplier in the UK.

Wallasey Labour MP Dame Angela Eagle, in whose constituency the factory is situated, said recently: "The news that Typhoo is planning on closing its Moreton factory is devastating for the local community and the workforce at Typhoo.

"The loss of the majority of jobs and the export of processing abroad is incredibly disappointing."