After revealing it to employees on Monday, September 9, during a visit to the factory, the management of the Carambar & Co group, owner of the Poulain brand, officially announced on Tuesday the signing of an agreement in principle for the purchase of its chocolate factory in Villebarou (Loir-et-Cher) by the agri-food group Andros.
“We are delighted to be able to offer our social partners and employees this project which will secure employment and chocolate production in Villebarou,” said Marc Auclair, president of Carambar & Co, in a joint press release with Andros. “Andros is satisfied with this agreement which is in line with its long-term development and which allows, thanks to the wealth of employees in place and their know-how, the preservation of employment in the Blois region,” added Florian Delmas, president of the Andros group. Thanks to this, the 109 employees will be able to continue working even though they were initially due to be made redundant by the end of the year, as initially planned.
Towards a subcontracting contract from Poulain to Andros
Beyond that, the Andros group has committed to maintaining the current production of the site and to continue producing Poulain chocolate, an emblematic brand created in 1848, for at least a few years. “Andros is satisfied with this agreement which is in line with its development,” continues Florian Delmas.
If the factory is bought, plans to expand the business are being considered by Carambar and Co, which will retain ownership of the Poulain brand. So, we are moving more towards a sort of subcontracting agreement for the production of Poulain chocolates by Andros. While the inter-union is waiting to learn a little more about the industrial project before making a decision, the region’s elected officials are pleased. “Even if we have to wait for Andros’ industrial project to be refined in the coming weeks and months, our communities have been won over by the industrial ambition of Andros, a family group now present on all continents. Andros has developed based on a real industrial culture and a continual quest for innovation,” they explain together.
A market in difficulty
The chocolate powder market has literally collapsed due to changing consumer behavior (less milk consumption, overly sweet products, price increases, etc.) for several years. Since 2016, sales have plummeted by more than 25%. In 2019, the Faverolles (Somme) factory that produced Benco and Banania powders closed its doors.