Swaythling passenger cars in the UK, leaving the Southampton made Transit as their only British-made vehicle. In 2009, with the new Kocaeli, Turkey, plant in full production, Ford reluctantly halved production at Southampton and reduced the workforce to just over 500. Employing 500 workers, the factory produced up to 35,000 Transit chassis/cab variant vehicles annually, of which 50% were exported. The Ford Southampton plant closed on 26 July 2013. The very first branch of the DIY chain B&Q was opened in Swaythling in 1969. The shop was owned by Messrs Block and Quayle. Swaythling railway station is on the main line
Woodie's DIY in Glasnevin in April 1988. The continued successes of the retail operations led to two new store openings in 1990, one in Sallynoggin and the other in Cork. In 1989, ‘Pay Less DIY’ was purchased by the Grafton Group and was rebranded as Woodie’s DIY. In the early 2000s, Woodie's DIY entered a phase of rapid expansion and in 2005, the business acquired fifteen Atlantic Homecare store estate which brought the total number of locations to its present figure. In 2015, the parent company saw a huge boost in sales and also noticed a positive performance in the business. Woodie's