after more than 140 years of activity, the Blédina factory in Villefranche-sur-Saône closes its doors

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.

For several years, a shadow has hung over the future of Blédina in Villefranche-sur-Saône (Rhône). And now it’s done. The historic factory of the baby products brand will close its doors in 2027. 117 employees are directly affected.

The cause is falling sales, down 35% in 5 years, linked in particular to the drop in the birth rate in France and Europe. Alongside the Danone group’s investment, the unions have been highlighting organizational efforts for years and better profitability. They are bitter. “This is an unfortunate decision and we are being sacrificed on the altar of profitability”regrets Gilles Feltrin, from the Force Ouvrière union.

The Blédina brand is famous for its compotes, its small pots and for its cereal Blédine, produced in the Rhône and consumed by millions of French households. In Villefranche-sur-Saône there is a local heritage where the inhabitants had even developed an emotional bond with their factory, located in the city center for almost a century and a half. “A symbol, a smell too, because very often, we smell vanilla”, notes a passerby.

For its part, Danone explains that after 134 million euros invested in 10 years, the situation was no longer tenable and, between now and the closure, in a year and a half, management has made commitments. “It’s above all being able to offer them internal employment, and also offering them, through a campus, professional transitions to be trained”assures Timothée Coppéré, Blédina factory director – Villefranche-sur-Saône. Faced with the decline of the baby food market, the group is now reorienting itself towards medical and sports nutrition, more promising activities.