CHANGES are afoot at world renown Whitchurch clockmaking firm J B Joyce, of Station Road.

J B Joyce is owned by the Smith of Derby group, and has been since 1964 when Norman Joyce, the last member of the Joyce family in the business, retired and sold the company.

Manager Keith Cotton said: “For the short term we are operating as usual in Whitchurch, but a restructuring process is going on throughout the company.”

One administration job was lost at the Whitchurch site before Christmas, but four full time staff are still working there.

Bob Betts, MD of Smith of Derby said yesterday: “We are not closing J B Joyce, it has been in the town for many years, but we are restructuring the company to help productivity.

“We may refurbish or develop the site. It is a prime site in the town and in 2012 we will be working with various agencies to assess the site’s possibilities.

“This could be good news, we need part of the site but could offer part of it to other people and create other opportunities such as offices.”

J B Joyce is well known for its expertise in restoring custom built clocks all around the world.
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