UP to 25 jobs will go from made-to-measure blinds business Hillarys, which has been hit by the economic downturn.

The Nottingham-based company said that the jobs would go over the next four weeks from its Colwick headquarters and a base in Washington, Tyne & Wear.

Chief executive John Risman said the jobs would go from its centralised support functions, not its production plant or customer contact centre.

He said: "We're trading a little bit lower than last year at the moment and we're taking a cautious view about the next six to 12 months. We are making a small number of roles redundant.

"The broad economic environment is very tough for customers. The housing market has tumbled, with 50% fewer people moving home than 12 months ago, and discretionary high-ticket purchases are being pulled or put off and that has affected a broad range of markets."

But Mr Risman was confident about the future.

"It is a tough market. But we are very confident in our strategy and we have grown market share. We have invested in our new production facility at Glaisdale and we expected to see the benefits of that efficiency over the next 12 months."