Packard packs up Fife operation

Packard Bell NEC will make around 400 of its 8,000 employees redundant and will move its Fife, Washington operation to its headquarters in Sacramento, California, to cut costs. The move comes in the face of the company's flagging share of the retail PC market as it tries to increase profit before going public. Packard Bell NEC saw a 46 per cent decline in its retail unit volume compared with 1997.