Following a futile search for a buyer, Belgian producer and distributor of construction materials Etex Group has decided to close its subsidiary Papeterie de Bègles in southwestern France. The mill produces paper used for plasterboard. A company spokeswoman informed that the deadline to find a buyer expired on 15 January and no bid had been submitted that fulfilled the necessary criteria.
Papeterie de Bègles has capacity to produce 75,000 tpy of paper for plasterboard and employs about 90 persons. The spokeswoman reported that the company is now discussing the terms of a social plan with employee representatives. At the moment the mill is still active even though production is currently idle, she added. Mill employees are said to have exercised their right to resign on 8 January. According to local media reports, the site will be definitely closed at the end of March 2021.