Le Figaro Nantes
The Figolu have not finished talking about them.
Latest episode to date: the announcement of the relocation of their production near Nantes, in their land of origin.
Since their relaunch in 2020, they have been manufactured in the United Kingdom, in conjunction with an external partner.
The inflationary context is pushing the American group Mondelez, owner of the LU brand since 2007, to reorganize.
“The Group wishes to strengthen the La Haye-Fouassière site (Loire-Atlantique), where the production of Figolu would be repatriated”
, indicated in a press release dated January 31 Mondelez International, which markets other brands such as Milka, Oreo or Côte d’Or.
The strengthening of this historic factory, specialized in the production of dry biscuits, also results in an
“investment of 10 million euros in a new production line and a new packaging line”
, and the creation of 27 positions over time. mid-2026.
Read alsoThe Mondelez group (Lu, Oreo, Milka) ends the year 2023 without surprising the markets
Back to basics
This restructuring goes hand in hand with the planned closure of another flagship factory, in Aisne, and the disappearance of 61 permanent positions there.
Enough to make elected officials and unions jump.
“Despite the measures taken in recent years to optimize it, production at Château-Thierry costs on average twice as much as our other sites in the rest of Europe, with no prospect of improvement
,” explains Roberto Gambaccini, director. industrial France about the site specializing in the production of filled and chocolate biscuits.
Modernizing infrastructure would generate too high investments according to Mondelez.
Most of the activities of the site located in Hauts-de-France will therefore be transferred to Loire-Atlantique, to La Haye-Foussière, where the new positions created
“would be offered as a priority to employees of Château-Thierry”
.
Despite these changes,
“Mondelez would maintain the same overall volume of production on French territory
,” specifies the American multinational.
This transfer marks a return to the past for Figolu.
Launched in 1961 in Nantes, cradle of the LU brand, the famous fig biscuits arrived at the La Haye Foussière factory in 1987,
“with a stable volume of around 1000 tonnes per year”
.
In 2015, the traditional Figolu gave way to “Figolu La Barre”, in a different form, recipe and price.
A petition was launched to find the original cakes: five years later, in the middle of confinement, the French general manager of Mondelez announced the return of the coveted shortbreads.
“During the relaunch via Burton's, we increased to 1,600 tonnes of annual equivalent
,” explains the firm to Le
Figaro
.
Before stabilizing at
“1350 tonnes”
.
All this for France, the only country where they are sold.