Oxford to close Columbia plant

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - Apparel-maker Oxford Industry Incorporated will close its Columbia distribution plant by the end of August, putting most of its 68 employees out of work. <br> <br> The Atlanta-based company announced the closing Tuesday. <br> <br> Bob Peak, a local vice president, says the move was the result of price pressure in the apparel industry. <br> <br> The Columbia plant opened in July 1965. About five technical and operation workers from the plant will be relocated to Oxford&#39;s distribution site in Gaffney. The company also has a distribution facility in Walhalla. <br> <br> The Columbia plant employed more than 300 people in its heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It manufactured women&#39;s clothing until the mid-1990s, when it became a distribution point, sending raw materials to contract plants for assembly.