A shrinking customer base and the on-going impact of the recession has forced New Zealand Laboratory Services to close its doors in Hastings after 15 years operating in Hawke's Bay.
The company's Hastings manager Chris Green and a few of his staff finished packing up the lab on Friday afternoonwhich would be consolidated at its bigger Auckland site.
"We had eight people working here, some have opted to work at our other labs and even though I love the Bay, I'm heading back to Auckland." he said. "Everyone has managed to get jobs.
"It's very sad, I think we have done a great job on our own here but we can't sustain a marginal profit/loss situation."
New Zealand Laboratory Services has offices throughout the country and specialises in food, pharmaceutical, environmental, agricultural and horticultural laboratory testing.
The Hastings site offered chemistry, microbiology, pathogens and environmental testing services. Mr Green said the Hastings service had a mixture of private and public customers, including councils and organisations working in the food, dairy and meat industries.
"The specialist work we do can still be covered by our Hamilton or Auckland office, or a mixture of both," he said.
"Hawke's Bay has been a good area to work in and we've had lots of customers ask if there will be anyone else to cover the region when we've gone."
Mr Green said he was sure there would be plenty of "industrious" business people looking to fill the gap about to be left by New Zealand Laboratory Services in the region.
"But these things take time and cost money," he said. "The size of the market at the moment had impacted on us as well as our customers, and so if you don't have the customers, it's difficult to operate.
"The commercial laboratory market in New Zealand is very competitive and if people can save money by doing without a service, or doing it cheaper somewhere else, they will."
