FAYETTE, Ala. - Fruit of the Loom Inc. said it would close the Fayette Cotton Mill, resulting in 290 layoffs at an anchor industry that has operated since the late 1920s. <br>
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The Chicago-based company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1999, said Wednesday the plant will close by April 28. <br>
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Fruit of the Loom previously shuttered Alabama plants in Aliceville and Winfield. <br>
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The closing will be only the latest economic blow to Fayette County, located northwest of Birmingham. The county of 18,500 people has lost a string of major employers over the last decade. <br>
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Between 1996 and 2000, Fayette County lost 900 jobs, according to state labor statistics. Since then, Arvin Industries announced it was closing its 350-worker plant in Fayette. <br>
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