Restructuring events
European Restructuring Monitor (ERM)
The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Freixenet, an Spanish cava wine producer jointly owned by the Ferrer family and Germany’s Henkell Group, has announced an employment redundancy file (ERE) that could affect up to 180 employees—approximately 24% of its Spanish workforce.
The company attributes this decision to an “unprecedented crisis” in the cava sector, driven primarily by several consecutive years of severe drought in Catalonia. Freixenet cites a notable decline in production, reduced stock levels, and soaring raw material costs, which have disrupted the balance between market demand and operational sustainability, and Freixenet underlines the need for structural reorganisation to ensure long-term viability, pledging to manage the process with sensitivity.
The ERE will primarily impact the Freixenet and Segura Viudas divisions, while the commercial branch will remain unaffected. Meanwhile, the broader cava sector has also suffered a 13.4% drop in volume sales in 2024, particularly in key export markets such as Germany
add bold textUpdated 4 JUN 2025: Freixenet has reached a preliminary agreement with trade unions to reduce the scope of its Employment Redundancy FIle (ERE) from 180 to 154 employees, following sustained union pressure and strike action. The agreement prioritises early retirements and voluntary departures. Specifically, 30 employees will take early retirement, receiving between 75% and 80% of their salary via an income protection plan, while the remaining redundancies will be voluntary, with compensation set at 50 days per year worked and no cap on monthly payments
Eurofound (2025), Freixenet, Internal restructuring in Spain, factsheet number 202662, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/202662.
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