Context.
Faced with structural industrial overcapacity, sharply rising production costs and a highly competitive market, a leading confectionery and chocolate group announced the closure of one of its production sites in France.
Our assignment.
We supported the group on all the industrial, economic, social and operational dimensions of the project:
Strategic diagnosis: review of industrial scenarios, cost assessment, announcement schedule
Assessment of the impact on employment and of psychosocial risks
Drafting of the legal documents required for the information and consultation procedure (Books II and IV): economic grounds, social consequences and implementation terms of the project
Search for a buyer under the French Florange act and preparation of the dedicated documentation, with an early and confidential search phase
Support for internal communication, in particular with employee representative bodies
Results.
Identification of a buyer, a major French food-industry group, in less than six months
Full takeover of the site and retention of all jobs (more than 100)
Continuation of production on the site, with subcontracting agreements put in place
Key success factors.
A buyer search launched confidentially ahead of the announcement of the project to the employee representative bodies
A precise targeting strategy that identified the relevant contacts and generated around ten expressions of interest
Close management of the industrial, legal and social dimensions throughout the project