A massive blow for the 74 employees of this Sarthe company threatened with closure

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It's a huge thunderclap for the municipality ofAubigné-Racanin southern Sarthe.

At the end of a CSE (Social and Economic Committee) of the company Meral which was held on Friday November 15, 2024 in the factory, specialized in manufacturing of sofa bed mechanismsand Job Protection Plan (PSE) was announced by management, information taken up this Tuesday, November 19 by Le Maine Libre.

The site currently employs 74 employees.

“In Aubigné-Racan, Méral is almost an identity. This is a historic undertaking. Many people from Aubigné-Racan work there, perhaps a third of the workforce,” announces the mayor of the town, Nicolas Mourier.

In Aubigné-Racan, the Méral company will close its doors in 2025

The councilor was informed of the implementation of this PSE on Friday November 15, 2024.

“The employees learned the news at noon last Friday. A PSE is underway with a first wave of layoffs in March 2025 and a definitive closure of the site next June if no buyer is found,” adds the elected official.

Installed on a site of 7 hathe company has 33 000 m² of buildings to shape its high-end products, from A to Z.

Méral belongs to a European group which owns four companies, in Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria and the last one in Sarthe, in Aubigné-Racan. It has been located in the town since 1966.

Gloomy context

Met in March 2024, the site manager, who has since left his position, announced “a gloomy context on a competitive market. Méral is experiencing a decline in its activity. The fault of rise in raw materialssuffered in 2021, and increasing production costs. With the crisis, we also noticed less traffic in specialized stores.”

The Aubignanese company has until now worked mainly for bedding stores and large-scale DIY distribution, for its portals.

“Export is very little in our activity, less than 5%, to Spain, Portugal or Poland,” noted the former director.

The company's activity is broken down as follows: 40% for furniture (BZ bench, convertible sofas), 35% for bedding and 15% for gates.

Area services

Today, a buyer is being sought. The economic development agency of the Pays de la Loire region, Solutions&Cois working with the management of Sedac-Méral to take over the site before summer 2025.

“We will do everything possible to help the site recover, by working with state services,” concludes the mayor.

First negotiations on November 25, 2024

Reached by telephone, the director of the group Jean Brossier was to follow up with a press release during the day.

The first negotiation meeting between staff representatives and management, as part of the Job Protection Plan, is scheduled for Monday November 25, 2024 from 9 a.m. in Aubigné-Racan.

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