After 74 years of production in Sereď, the historic Hubert sparkling wine brand is moving its entire manufacturing operation to the Czech Republic by the end of the year. Sister company Bohemia Sekt will absorb the output, leaving about 60 jobs affected while marketing and sales remain in Slovakia.
The End of a 74-Year Run in Sereď
The physical making of Hubert sparkling wine is leaving Slovakia after more than seven decades. Company leadership confirmed that the manufacturing plant in Sereď will shut down completely before the end of the year, splitting its future production output between sister facilities in Starý Plzenec and Mikulov.
While the brand itself survived the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy, two world wars, economic downturns, communism, and the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia, it could not maintain long-term financial sustainability at its Slovak manufacturing base. The company traced its roots back to 1825 in Bratislava, where Johann Fischer and Michael Schönbauer founded one of the earliest sparkling wine factories outside France. The operation relocated to Sereď in 1952 following post-war nationalization, anchoring the town’s industrial identity for 74 years.
Shifting Economics and the Corporate Rationale
Company executives pointed to structural shifts in the market to explain the abrupt consolidation. Despite heavy capital investments over recent years, management found itself unable to keep the facility running at full capacity.
Beyond consumer shifts, corporate filings also pointed to broader headwinds. The annual report highlighted a fierce competitive market across food and alcoholic beverages, noting that Slovak government consolidation measures aimed at boosting tax revenue have increased tax and social contribution burdens on businesses without a corresponding cut in public spending, which in turn drives production and investment away.
Impact on Sereď Workers and the Local Economy
The closure will roll out across two distinct stages, ultimately affecting roughly 60 employees. Not all workers face termination; management intends to offer internal transfers to other facilities within the wider corporate group for certain personnel.
For those who lose their jobs entirely, the business promised an above-standard severance package designed around length of service, proximity to retirement age, and local reemployment prospects. Sales, marketing, and select administrative teams will remain stationed in Slovakia to maintain brand presence and product distribution.
Local leadership acknowledged the emotional weight of the departure for Sereď. The mayor of Sereď, Ondrej Kurbel, noted that while losing long-standing jobs hurts the community, the regional employment market retains resilience as new investors continue to arrive in the area. Meanwhile, the Zväz vinohradnikov a vinárov warned that the factory’s closure could ripple outward to local grape growers, raising concerns that regional vineyard acreage might face abandonment as producers struggle with high energy costs for sparkling wine production.
Consolidation Under Henkell Freixenet
The restructuring places the historic brand firmly inside the larger operational footprint of Henkell Freixenet, the international parent group that also owns Bohemia Sekt alongside global labels like Freixenet, Mionetto, and Törley.
Bohemia Sekt operates within the Czech market, which is roughly double the size of the Slovak market and supports a workforce of around 300 people—roughly triple the headcount of the Slovak operation. By shifting production to Starý Plzenec and Mikulov, the parent group uses established production capacity that handles both traditional bottle-fermented styles and large tank Charmat methods.
At the same time, drinking habits across the region are evolving.
Political friction accompanied the announcement in Slovakia. Opposition figures seized on the corporate exit to criticize the economic policies of the national government, arguing that cumulative tax increases and administrative fees have eroded the country’s manufacturing competitiveness.