British upmarket warehouse Selfridges put a 2,000 pound (2,200 Euros) bikini encrusted with Swarovski crystals on its shelves this week. The news comes only weeks after the Austrian company's announcement it would sack 1,100 more workers after other dismissals earlier this year as well as in 2008.

  The bikini - nicknamed "bling-kini" - boasts more than 5,000 brightly coloured crystals of the traditional family business in Tyrol. That means each square-centimetre of the swimming costume is worth 110 Euros. Anticipating huge demand, Selfridges has set up a waiting list for the piece designed by posh fashion brand Pistol Panties. Actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Moss are among fans of the company's products. Meanwhile, union representatives are holding negotiations with Swarovski's board over compensation for dismissed workers at the firm's headquarters in Wattens. Swarovski spokesman Markus Langes-Swarovski said recently fewer orders had made it necessary to cut production, adding workers who would be laid off would be informed of their fate by the end of April.

  Cheap producers abroad, especially in Egypt and China, had caused crystal prices to tumble, Langes-Swarovski said. Active in 120 countries, Swarovski rings is directed by family members of the fourth and fifth generation. In 2007, the company had turnover of 2.56 billion Euros.