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THE GÖTENI. 190 people become unemployed when Semper closes down in Götene.
But the company’s board does not need it.
They gave themselves a bonus of two million kroner just over a year ago.
Since last autumn, the management of Semper in Sweden has been in negotiations with the union. Early on, it became clear that Semper, which is owned by the Swiss Hero Group, wanted to close down the factory in Götene.
Hero Group owns 100 percent of Semper, and a strategic decision has been made that the group will concentrate on three core businesses going forward: Baby food, healthy snacks and jam.
– Milk replacement is not part of what Hero Group wants to invest in, says Anna Widell, vice president of the local trade union at Semper’s factory in Götene.
This means that 190 people employed at the factory will lose their jobs.
Laying down despite large investments
According to Semper’s management, the reason for closing down is not related to performance, “but is the result of a change in Hero Group’s strategy and external circumstances”.
– Our focus now is entirely on our employees, to be there for them and provide all the support we can. This is a very tough decision we have had to make, says Anne Lindfeldt who is press manager at Semper.
The employees and the local union were shocked when the news of the closure came.
Partly because Semper has invested millions in the factory in Götene in recent years.
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full screen Semper’s factory, located in the middle of Götene, is to be closed down. Photo: Björn Lindahl
According to Götene municipality, it is almost SEK 300 million in the last six years.
– When Hero Group decided to invest in the plant in 2017, we started from production forecasts based on current trends. These forecasts have not come true due to a number of external circumstances, including a decline in the consumption of infant formula, lower birth rates and high inflation, says Anne Lindfeldt.
She continues:
– Today’s forecasts show that the volume will decrease by more than half until 2026. This makes the facility unsustainable for the Hero Group.
“A good question”
According to the annual report from 2022, CEO Jim Frandsen and the board of Semper gave themselves a million dollar bonus that year.
Something that Sweden’s radio P4 Skaraborg was the first to notice.
Semper’s CEO Jim Frandsen, who is also North European manager of Hero Group, himself does not want to comment on the bonus of two million.
– That was a good question, but I would rather focus on the coming days, he told P4 Skaraborg.
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full screen Sempers CEO Jim Frandsen. Photo: Marie-Therese Karlberg
Press manager Anne Lindfeldt doesn’t think it’s strange that the management gave themselves a million dollar bonus.
She states that to Aftonbladet.
– When it comes to bonuses, the salary structure for our management teams, in Semper and elsewhere, has both fixed and variable parts that are based on performance. The same also applies, for example, to our salespeople.
– The bonuses are based on targets set by the Hero group and are not decided by the local management teams themselves.
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full screen Photo: Björn Lindahl