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.
(10 - 33) Manufacturing (10 - 11) Manufacture of food and beverage 10 - Manufacture of food products 10.82 - Manufacture of cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery
115 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
5 September 2024
Employment effect (start)
5 September 2024
Foreseen end date
30 June 2025
Description
The Belgian chocolate company, Barry Callebaut, has decided to shut down its facility in the Piedmont region of Italy. This closure will take place in early 2025, affecting the jobs of 115 workers at the Intra plant. The workforce includes both permanent staff and those on temporary contracts.
Labor organizations have voiced their worries about this development. They claim they were not informed about the plant's closure beforehand. In response, these groups have proposed setting up a meeting with government officials from the Labor Ministry to address the situation. This gathering would aim to discuss the impact on workers and explore possible solutions to the impending job losses.
Update, 02/07/2025:
The facility ceased production definitively at the end of June 2025, the Swiss chocolate multinational cited structural limitations and logistical difficulties as reasons for closure, stating the site had reached full production capacity with limited growth prospects.
The closure decision was initially announced in September 2024, followed by institutional negotiations at ministerial and regional levels seeking alternative solutions. The Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy secured production extensions until March 31, 2025, later extended to June, with potential continuation until August if a buyer emerged.
Despite efforts, no reindustrialisation proposals materialised. Trade unions criticised the lack of results and insufficient institutional support, with FAI CISL Piemonte Orientale (trade union) describing an "epilogue marked by unfulfilled promises and shared bitterness." A collective dismissal agreement was signed on February 7, 2025, activating social safety nets and optimal conditions for affected workers.
Eurofound (2024), Barry Callebaut, Closure in Italy, factsheet number 201579, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/201579.
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