Saturday, March 22, 2008

Livonia SuperValu plant to close, lay off 366


By Nancy Kaffer
The closure of a SuperValu Inc. plant in Livonia will put 366 employees out of work — the largest Michigan layoff of 2008, according to information filed with the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Growth under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. announced in January it was ending an agreement with Eden Prairie, Minn.-based SuperValu, a supplier for the grocery retail industry, and moving many of its operations to an Ohio facility. At that time, company representatives were unsure of the impact on the SuperValu Advantage Logistics Michigan plant, according to published reports. The only other Michigan supply facility listed on the SuperValu Web site is in Zeeland.Earlier this month, Kroger listed sales of $70.2 billion for the full 2007 fiscal year. In January, SuperValu reported supply chain net sales of $2.4 billion, up 4.8 percent from last year, with $33.7 billion net sales in its retail and supply operations year-to-date for fiscal 2008. SuperValu’s retail holdings include Albertsons, Save-A-Lot and Shop ’n’ Save.The WARN Act requires companies with more than 100 employees to provide 60 days notice of anticipated closures or mass layoffs. Other metro-area companies on the WARN list include: Troy’s Bank of America, reporting a 210-worker layoff, and Sterling Heights’ Faurecia Automotive Seating Inc., reporting 170 layoffs.

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