French skincare brand Yves Rocher will shutter its Cork plant next year
Some 60 people are set to lose their jobs.
FRENCH SKINCARE BRAND Yves Rocher has confirmed that it will shutter its plant in Cork by the end of next year.
A spokeswoman for the outfit said the facility on Dublin Hill, which is a short drive from Cork city centre, will close in 2018 with production being moved to Rieux, Brittany, in the north of France.
Some 60 people are set to lose their jobs as a result and employee representatives have been informed of the decision.
Through a statement, the spokeswoman said that Yves Rocher’s parent, Groupe Rocher, decided to move out of Cork and consolidate operations in France after carrying out a review of the business that was “prompted by falling global volumes in recent years”.
Groupe Rocher thanked its Cork workers “for their dedication, commitment and performance in the face of numerous challenges in recent years”.
Yves Rocher started operations in Cork in 1981 and set up the Dublin Hill facility three years later. It produced a number of products including the Pure Calmille, Arnica and Serum Vegetal ranges.
The facility received a €3.7 million investment in 2010, but started shedding jobs and cutting operational activity in 2014.
Last year, the workforce at the Cork plant was almost halved with 50 job losses.
Following today’s announcement, Fianna Fáil councillor Kenneth O’Flynn issued a statement in which he called on the government and foreign direct investment agency IDA Ireland to “intensify their efforts to secure new jobs” for the north side of Cork city.
“It is clear that our area has been left behind in the overall government thinking on developing Cork,” he said. “It simply is no longer acceptable and the people of the north side of Cork city deserve better.”
