“Colleagues are our main priority at the moment and we are focusing on finding the best solutions for them,” says Gabriel Oprea, the manager of Ploiesti plant.
He has not provided any details about the number of employees, but in line with ZF data several hundred people are involved.
Unilever Romania, which operates Unilever production of Prahova, had around 630 employees at end-2022, in line with Finance Ministry data.
In line with ZF data, the shutdown comes amid falling demand for powder detergent and rising costs of the local plant. Even so, this was the cheapest of Europe, according to ZF sources.
The company’s representatives say Dero brand will not disappear. It has been as a matter of fact the only Romanian name in the industry dominated by foreign brands.
The Ploiesti plant is the group’s first bet on production in Romania.
Unilever Romania, which operates the detergent and food plants of Ploiesti, reported RON160 million turnover last year, up almost 60% from 2021.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)