SHCAY Sharp Corporation (PK)

TOKYO--Sharp Corp. (6753.TO) will discontinue production of solar battery cells at its plant in the U.K. by the end of February and will lay off 250 of its workers there, the Nikkei reported Wednesday.

The struggling Japanese electronics maker has fallen on hard times as stiff price competition clouds the possibility of a recovery in profitability for its solar battery operations.

The plant will keep intact its microwave oven production, after the solar cell output is phased out, the report said.

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