Announced in June 2023, the decision of the Italian company Bolton Food, owner of the canned sardines and mackerel brand Saupiquet, to leave France has become effective, as recalled by the newspaper Rue20.
The agri-food company, according to French media reports, closed its last cannery in France on December 20 to transfer its production to Morocco and Spain.
Saupiquet, based in Quimper, had been processing sardines, mackerel and tuna for more than a century. An era is coming to an end in this part of Brittany.
The closure of this factory will result in the loss of more than one hundred jobs, with 155 employees and their families being affected, the same sources add.
Speaking to Ouest France, Loïg Chesnais-Girard, president of the Brittany region, said. “this decision by the Italian group Bolton Food, motivated by the quest for short-term profitability, goes against the needs of our country and Europe in terms of food sovereignty”stressing that “at a time when we must strengthen our agri-food chains and guarantee quality industrial jobs, this exit is a worrying industrial setback.”
For Bolton Food, the decision to close its last Saupiquet canning factory in France is explained, on the one hand, by the desire to reduce its production costs by transferring its activity to Morocco and Spain, where “labor is cheaper,” according to the French media, and on the other hand, by the decline in sales of the brand in France.
In its press release issued in June 2023, the Italian group reported “declines in sales and production volumes resulting in negative results”. “declines in sales and production volumes resulting in negative results.” It cited a decline of up to 25% over three years, as the company faces competition from other players, in particular large-scale retail brands.
