British luxury goods maker Burberry is planning to shift production of its polo shirts from Treorchy, Britain to China.

The company has not yet confirmed reports that it will likely locate its two new factories in South China's Guangdong Province.

Burberry says it decided to close its current factory in South Wales, which employs about 300 people, after a long review showed that keeping it open was no longer commercially viable.

It had wanted to shut down the factory at the end of last year but postponed the closing date to the end of this month.

The campaign to "Keep Burberry British," which is supported by lawmakers and celebrities, was taken to stores in London, Paris, Strasbourg, New York, Chicago and Las Vegas in the middle of last month.

"These international protests have become unrelated to the closure of a polo shirt factory in Wales," the company says.

Actually, three quarters of Burberry polo shirts are already being made overseas in places such as Hong Kong, Poland, Portugal and Spain. Burberry wants to consolidate production in these locations, according to a Financial Times report.

(China Daily 03/05/2007 page6)