The last French factory of the Saupiquet brand, a famous tricolor brand founded in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) in 1897 by Arsène Saupiquet, will close at the end of 2024 in Quimper (Finistère). If three of the five production lines, on which 155 workers can can mackerel and sardines, will be permanently closed, the other two will go to equip two factories of the Bolton group.
Contacted, the group’s management confirms: “The choice of countries was made in relation to the sardine and mackerel canning activity”, specifies the management of Bolton. This is how part of the production line of canned sardines will leave for Morocco and another line, for canning mackerel, will leave Quimper for Spain.
The first meeting of the plant closure procedure took place this week. But as management points out, which is confirmed by an employee, “it is still too early to discuss reclassification proposals, it is only the very beginning of the procedure”.
One thing is certain for now: the lines intended for Morocco and Spain will be closed by the end of the year. “The people concerned will be reassigned to other lines between now and the final closure of the factory at the end of 2024.”
Contacted, the CFDT union, largely in the majority ahead of the CGT in the Quimper factory, did not respond to our requests.
