Founded nearly fifty years ago, the company l’Albigeoise de Patons, a company specializing in the production and sale of bread and pastries, located in Aveyron and Tarn, is closing its doors.
This is a hard blow for the employees of the company l’Albigeoise de Patons, whose production site is located in the industrial zone of Villeneuve-d’Aveyron. This Tuesday, the company based in Aveyron and Tarn that employs a total of 90 employees, with its head office in Saint-Juri, was placed in liquidation by the Albi Commercial Court. Every day, the factory produced thousands of breads and pastries. Two bakeries also belonged to this group, the Belobet brand in Villefranche-de-Rourgue, Route de Toulouse, and L’Albigois de Patens in Laneujoles. Two businessmen who were supplied daily by the factory closed shop.
“The Year 2023 Was Deadly”
Like many French companies, Patens’ Albigios, which has been in existence for nearly fifty years, has been hit hard by rising production costs in recent months. “It was already very complicated, but the year 2023 was fatal”Dominic Sales, the company’s manager since 2001, mourns. “For electricity alone, we billed €170,000 last year to €633,000 in 2022. The price of the lot increased by 45%. We tried to reduce some costs. Certain costs by stopping production, but it was not enough. We increased this increase in the selling price of our products. Couldn’t pass on. In this economy, there are limits.”. Every day, 28 trucks left the factory for a dawn tour. “An Old Economic Model That Was Running Out of Steam”adds the former manager. “Closing a store is always heartbreaking. But we were at the end of the road and we were operating at a loss. We had to make this decision.”
“Poor management”?
This Thursday, February 15, a few workers were on site to evacuate the factory premises. A feeling of bitterness and fatalism follows this news. “It’s sad that it’s closing but it was expected, it’s far from surprising “, says the former employee. “Some lament the poor management and lack of investment to modernize the factory over the past decade”.
According to the manager, a job protection plan must be deployed to support the 90 employees of Albigois de Patens.
