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
DIY Week DIY Week DIY Week is a British fortnightly business-to-business magazine for those in the do it yourself (DIY), household hardware and homeware market. The magazine is published by Datateam in Maidstone, Kent, in England. Founded in 1874, "DIY Week" is sold to retailers of hardware, housewares, garden and DIY products, and their suppliers, and contains news, comment, financial analysis and market trend information. Originally launched by a Birmingham hardware wholesaler as "Martineau & Smith's Monthly Circular", the magazine was very soon renamed "Hardware Trade Journal", and changed from monthly to weekly publication in 1900. Over the following decades it became