Fruit of the Loom, the US garment manufacturer which employs over 3,500 in Ireland, is to invest more than £3 million in Ireland next year and will create another 200 jobs, writes Siobhan Creaton.

The multinational, whose Irish plants have suffered mixed fortunes, has said the bulk of any future investment will concentrate on upgrading and replacing its manufacturing processes. It will not entail building new plants in Ireland.

The company's newly appointed vice-president of European manufacturing, Mr Andy McCarter, said it remained firmly committed to its Irish operations. But he warned that the impending flow of cheaper products from developing countries into the European market would inevitably create pressures for certain aspects of Fruit of the Loom's Irish manufacturing business.

See also: The Friday Interview, page 7