BAT to Close Swiss Plant

BAT will close a cigarette manufacturing plant in Switzerland in 2023, reports Reuters.

The closure will cause the layoff of 226 workers. Employees will be given an “advantageous social package,” according to SwissInfo.

“BAT Switzerland confirms that a final decision has been made to transfer cigarette production from Boncourt to larger factories within Europe and to close the Boncourt site,” BAT said in a statement.

Boncourt Mayor Lionel Maitre said the closure is “a shock, a disappointment, a feeling of desperation and a mess.” The factory closure will cause Boncourt to lose its biggest taxpayer.

“Let’s be clear—this is a hard blow, but we will overcome it, and the situation is not hopeless,” said Jura government President David Eray. “This decision brings us face-to-face with the painful consequences that we feared.”

In 2014, BAT closed a research and development facility in Boncourt, laying off about 15 people.