Type
Closure
Country
France
Region
Centre-Est; Rhône-Alpes; Isère
Location of affected unit(s)
Lancey and Voreppe
Sector
Manufacturing
Manufacture Of Wood And Paper Materials
Manufacture Of Wood And Of Products Of Wood And Cork, Except Furniture; Manufacture Of Articles Of Straw And Plaiting Materials
16 - Manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials

722 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
23 September 2008
Employment effect (start)
23 September 2008
Foreseen end date
23 September 2008

Description

The Commercial Court of Grenoble has announced the liquidation of Matussiere et Forest, the French paper company based in Isère. It has announced the closure of two sites in (Lancey and Voreppe) with 722 jobs losses by 23 September 2008. The company attributed the closure to rising costs.

The local authorities in the department of Isere are to meet to discuss the future of the paper sector in the area following the liquidation of Matussiere & Forest, with a view to formulating a recovery plan for some of the region's ailing paper factories, which employ 800 people in Isere in total. The head of the sites in Voreppe and Lancey, was seeking a financial partner to invest 40 millions euros in the Voreppe site, and was looking into a buyout of the site by the local authorities. The Lancey site could also be saved by plans to convert it into a woodwool factory. Matussiere & Forest was placed under court-supervised administration four months ago after suffering an operating loss of 31 millions euros in 2007.

Employees of Matussiere et Forest, the French paper group which recently went into liquidation, have been occupying the group's factory on 19 September 2008.

The move comes after Papresa, the Spanish group which had been approached as a potential buyer, backed out.

Matussiere et Forest, which was founded in 1968, has been in compulsory administration for four years.


Sources

  • 24 September 2008: Les Echos
  • 24 September 2008: Le Figaro
  • 25 September 2008: L'Humanité Dimanche
  • 25 September 2008: Le Monde (www.lemonde.fr)
  • 25 September 2008: L'Humanité Dimanche
  • 25 September 2008: Le Monde (www.lemonde.fr)

Citation

Eurofound (2008), Matussière & Forest, Closure in France, factsheet number 67121, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/67121.