Hawesta to close Lübeck plant and transfer operations to Sassnitz

LÜBECK, May 25, 2022 – Rügen Fisch AG (Rügen Fisch) today announced that it plans to transfer the production of its subsidiary, Hawesta Feinkost Hans Westphal GmbH & Co. KG (Hawesta) to Sassnitz, joining the rest of the Rügen Fisch Group in the existing manufacturing site on the island of Rügen. As a result, the Lübeck plant will be closed.

The Hawesta works council and the 200 employees were informed of these plans today, and discussions with the employee representatives are starting now. The company management would like to retain as many employees as possible for their production in Sassnitz. To this end, they are currently exploring options for supporting a move from Lübeck to Sassnitz.

The German and European canned seafood markets have seen headwinds in recent years. Rising labor, energy, ingredient, and packaging costs together with high fish and raw material prices, have led to an increasingly difficult market environment since 2019. This transfer of production is crucial for Rügen Fisch to ensure the long-term viability of the Group and to strengthen the position of the longstanding Hawesta brand to remain as competitive as possible.

About Thai Union

Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader, bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for 45 years.

Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world’s leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 141.0 billion (US$ 4.5 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch, Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, OMG Meat, Bellotta and Marvo, and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ™BONE, UniQ™DHA and ZEAvita.

As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding participating company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized when the company was listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the eighth consecutive year in 2021 and ranked number two in the world on the Food Products Industry Index. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth straight year in 2020.

Media contact

Markus Reber
European Communications Director
Thai Union Europe
Mobile: +44 7779 559551
E-mail: markus.reber@thaiunion.com