ALMOST 1,000 Cowley-built Minis were sold in the UK in February – a 13 per cent rise on the same month last year.
So far this year, 3,108 have been sold, compared with 2,498 in the first two months of 2009 – a 24 per cent increase.
Last February marked a low point for the plant, with 850 agency workers losing their jobs.
Since then, improved sales have seen many being re-employed. The workforce at the Oxford factory is now 3,700, compared with 4,200 a year ago.
Owner BMW is axing 100 employees from its Swindon plant, where Mini door panels are built, and offering a £10,000 incentive to workers who agree to move to Oxford.
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