A Massachusetts pork plant owned by Smithfield Foods will shutter in August. The company confirmed the closure of its factory in Springfield, Mass., in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice filed with the state on Feb. 6.
According to Just Food, 190 employees would be affected by the closure. The layoffs will take place between April and September.
The plant, which produces dry sausage, will move its production to other plants that will have a similar capacity to make products to the same quality standards, the company noted.
In January, Smithfield Foods entered into an agreement to acquire all of Nathan’s Famous’ issued and outstanding shares for $102 per share in cash, an enterprise value of approximately $450 million. Smithfield Foods has held an exclusive license since March 2014 from Nathan’s Famous within the U.S., Canada and Sam’s Clubs in Mexico to manufacture, distribute, market and sell “Nathan’s Famous” branded hot dogs, sausages, corned beef and certain other ancillary products through the retail channel, and to manufacture and distribute “Nathan’s Famous” branded hot dog and sausage products for the foodservice channel.
Successfully closing this acquisition secures Smithfield’s rights to this brand and maximizes the Nathan’s Famous brand growth across the retail and foodservice channels, the company says.
