As of: February 26, 2024, 4:29 p.m
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A bowl of chocolate stands on a coffee table.
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
Barry Callebaut, the world's largest chocolate manufacturer, is closing its factory in Norderstedt.
The company confirmed this on Monday upon request.
A spokeswoman said 48 full-time positions were affected.
Zurich - Callebaut will cut a total of 2,500 jobs worldwide over the next 18 months, 18 percent of its total workforce, a spokeswoman said.
Company boss Peter Feld had previously announced the job cuts in an interview with “Handelsblatt”.
The company works primarily as a supplier for the production of chocolate products and is therefore not well known as a brand.
Callebaut had already announced an austerity program in the fall.
The aim is to save 250 million francs (around 260 million euros) per year, around 15 percent of the costs.
Feld justifies the reduction with the structure: The USA, Europe, Asia and the global cocoa business were practically managed separately, and that should now change.
The company is active in 40 countries.
It generated annual sales of around 8.5 billion francs in the 2022/23 financial year (August 31).
The Barry Callebaut Group looks back on a 175-year chocolate tradition.
dpa