THE FRANKLIN MINT Slumping collectibles maker cuts jobs

The company will refocus on diecast cars, planes and Harley-Davidson items.
FRANKLIN CENTER, Pa. (AP) -- The Franklin Mint, a prominent collectibles maker, plans to lay off two-thirds of its employees in suburban Philadelphia, a company spokesman said.
The company, seeking to implement a new restructuring plan, has notified 200 workers at its Franklin Center site in Delaware County that they would be dismissed over the next several months, said spokesman Howard Lucker.
Decreasing sales
Weakened by decreasing sales of figurines, Franklin Mint plans to shift its focus to production of die-cast cars, airplanes and Harley-Davidson collectibles.
"We're going to develop a new, smaller business focused on our core competencies of product development and marketing," company spokesman Howard Lucker said.
The company's retail stores will remain open, as will a museum in Franklin Center, Lucker said.
The Delaware County center affected by the layoffs conducts product design and development, advertising and sales, but is not involved in manufacturing.
The Franklin Mint and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund have been antagonists in a legal dispute since the late 1990s, when the fund and executors of her estate accused the company of unlawfully using her likeness by selling a Diana "Limited Edition Commemorative Plate." The lawsuit was later thrown out.
In response, the Franklin Mint filed a $25 million lawsuit last November, accusing the fund and Diana's estate of acting maliciously in launching the original suit.