Nestle : Purina PetCare mulls French plant sale, job cuts
November 13, 2018 at 09:43 am EST
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PARIS (Reuters) - Nestle's Purina PetCare division could cut around 200 jobs in France through voluntary departures and it is also exploring options for its Quimperle plant in Brittany, including a sale, said a Nestle France spokesman.
The spokesman made the comments after trade unions at Nestle Purina said the company could sell the Quimperle plant, which employs 123 people, and cut jobs at the Marconnelle, Montfort, Aubigny and Veauche plants in France to cut costs.
Nestle Purina France currently employs 1,800 people.
The Swiss group has come under pressure from hedge fund Third Point, which is run by investor Daniel Loeb, to undertake a bolder and faster overhaul of its business strategy.
Regarding the Quimperle plant, discussions were continuing with a potential external partner, which the unions said was C&D Foods. Trade unions have also made a proposal that would entail keeping the Quimperle plant within the group.
"We are looking for the most sustainable solution for the plant," said the Nestle France spokesman.
Purina is looking to start discussions with unions in the coming weeks up, until the end of the first half of 2019.
(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
Nestlé S.A. is the world's leading agri-food group. Net sales break down by category of products as follows:
- powdered and liquid beverages (26.7%): soluble coffees (Nescafé and Starbucks brands), coffee in capsules (Nespresso), chocolate drinks (Nesquik, Milo, etc.), tea drinks (Nestea), etc.;
- pet food (20.3%): brands such as Purina, Friskies, Felix, etc.;
- pharmaceutical, nutrition and well-being products (16.4%): nutritional supplements (Resource, Boost, Nutren, Optifast, Peptamen brands, etc.), infant and maternal nutrition products (NAN, illuma, Cerelac, Nido, Gerber), ketogenic beverages (BrainXpert), (Nesquick, Fitness, Cheerios, Lion, etc.), etc.;
- ready meals and seasoning products (12.5%): frozen and chilled dishes (Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets and Stouffer's brands), soups (Maggi), etc.;
- dairy products and ice cream (11.8%): powdered milk, sweetened condensed milk, yoghurt and cream desserts, ice cream (Nido, Nesvita, Carnation, La Laitière, Coffee Mate, Nestlé Ice Cream, Dreyers, Häagen-Dazs, Extrême brands, etc.);
- chocolates, sweets and biscuits (8.7%): Kit Kat, Smarties, Cailler, Terrafertil, etc. brands;
- bottled waters (3.6%): Nestlé Pure Life, Vittel, Perrier, S. Pellegrino, etc. brands.
Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: Switzerland (1.2%), France (3.8%), the United Kingdom (3.8%), Germany (2.4%), Europe (12.8%), the United States and Canada (35%), China (5.9%), Asia and Oceania (21.4%) and Latin America (13.7%).
NESTLÉ S.A. 
