Unilever to Close 2 Plants

Unilever, a global beauty and personal care manufacturer, has announced it will close two plants in New York, laying off 169 workers on April 5, 2024.

The NJ-based company, which bought Sundial Brands in 2017, plans to close its manufacturing facility in Amityville and its warehouse in Farmingdale, and move production to other locations in the US.

There will be 167 workers in Amityville and 2 in Farmingdale that will lose their jobs.

In its October earnings report, Unilever revealed a 0.6% decline in overall sales volumes for Q3. With the decrease, Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher said the company is pivoting to an “unrelenting initial focus on our top 30 power brands,” which include health and beauty brands like Dove and Axe.

“We are realigning production to support our growth plans for these product categories as the Amityville factory site has considerable size constraints that limit its ability to expand,” Unilever said in its emailed statement.

The last round of layoffs was in January 2022, when the CPG giant laid off 1,500 managers as it transitioned to a five-business-unit plan. At that time, Unilever said it was moving to the simpler structure — Beauty and Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream — each with their own president.