UK-based R&R Ice Cream has confirmed plans to close an ice cream plant in France.
The plant, based in Carcassonne in south-west France, makes ice cream under the Pilpa brand and employs 127 staff.
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The closure was announced at a meeting of the plant’s works committee yesterday, which led to staff staging a stoppage.
“The reason for the closure of the Carcassonne plant is that it is now only operating at 31% capacity, which doesn’t allow us to be competitive on production costs in what is an increasingly competitive market,” R&R human resources director Peter Pickthall told just-food. “The Pilda brand will continue, with production transferred to our three other plants in France where some spare capacity exists.” He added these plants were not under threat.
R&R acquired the Carcassone plant from France’s Maison Boncolac in 2011. It has a production capacity of around 23m litres
Pickthall said no closure date would be announced before the consultative process with the works committee had completed.
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By GlobalDataStaff are to be offered jobs at R&R’s other French plants and its facility in Poland.
