P&G’s St. Bernard Soap to close operations permanently in March after first opening in 1886

09 Jan 2024 --- St. Bernard Soap is permanently shutting down its operations. The manufacturing company founded by Procter & Gamble (P&G) produced bar soap for brands such as Ivory.

Sean Witt, vice president of the union representing St. Bernard Soap Company’s employees, says employees were told at a meeting last Wednesday. 

The company will cease operations by mid-March, following P&G’s decision to consolidate contract manufacturing and shift production to its plant in Boston, US.

St. Bernard Soap has been producing bar soap for over 125 years. It was first opened by P&G in 1886 as a bar soap production site. P&G sold the plant in 2003, when it became St. Bernard Soap Company, and instead began manufacturing multiple brands under its roof instead of just those owned by P&G.

The company notably produced soaps for P&G, Kao Brands, Colgate-Palmolive and Unilever.

From layoffs to closure
The shutdown follows layoffs in October. The St. Bernard Soap Company sent out a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) letter to employees announcing the layoffs of approximately 153 plant employees.

P&G soap company will shut down following significant layoffs.The WARN letter details that the layoffs impacted 120 union-represented and eight non-represented employees.

Reports suggest the shutdown is due to P&G’s strategy to improve efficiency by centralizing production. That decision would align with P&G’s broader strategy to divest from several manufacturing operations, including selling various brands and facilities.

Witt explains that P&G products remained a part of the St. Bernard Soap Company’s offerings until recently. He says the loss of P&G as a client has caused the company to lose approximately 90% of the business earned from four P&G brands: Oil of Olay, Safeguard, Ivory and Old Spice.

In a statement, a spokesperson for P&G says the company is “consolidating contract manufacturing partners and will continue production at a P&G-owned plant for scale and efficiency.”

By Sabine Waldeck