The Bristol, UK-based footwear supply firm, Dinkie Heel, has said it is to relocate its steel toe cap production to a jointly-owned factory in Botswana.

Citing both the decline of the UK safety footwear market and the strength of UK sterling, the company said the move would be implemented over the next 12 to 18 months. The announcement comes a year after production at Dinkie Heel's rubber soles business was switched from Manchester to South Africa and six months after the company revealed a 4.5% drop in steel toe cap sales.

Though the company will retain a distribution presence in Bristol, 40 jobs will result from the closure of the manufacturing operation.

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