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.
As announced on 19 November 2025, the British packaging manufacturer DS Smith plans to close five production sites in Germany by the end of 2026. Around 500 employees will be affected. The sites affected are Paderborn and Hövelhof (North Rhine-Westphalia), Mannheim and Endingen am Kaiserstuhl (Baden-Württemberg), as well as Donauwörth (Bavaria). In Hamburg, a partial closure of the display plant is planned.
The company is responding to changing market conditions and aims to increase efficiency. Negotiations with employee representatives are currently underway, meaning that the number of layoffs is subject to change.
In January 2025, DS Smith was acquired by its parent company, International Paper. Together, they employ around 65,000 people worldwide.
Another DS Smith site in Belišće, Croatia, had to close in September 2025, affecting 200 employees, which was registered in the ERM events databse DS Smith 2025 - HR.
Eurofound (2025), DS Smith, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 203740, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203740.
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