AkzoNobel to lay off up to 16% of workforce in France

The maker of Dulux paints, which currently employs 1,300 people in France, said the reorganisation would be carried out from May 2025 until the end of 2026.

Dutch paint and coatings maker AkzoNobel, opens new tab plans to lay off of up to 211 staff in France, about 16% of its workforce in the country, under a reorganisation plan, it said on Friday.

The maker of Dulux paints, which currently employs 1,300 people in France, said the reorganisation would be carried out from May 2025 until the end of 2026. The plan also includes creation of 29 new positions in the country.

As part of the programme, AkzoNobel will invest 22 million euros ($22.7 million) into its Montataire site in Northern France, with an aim to establish it as a "flagship for decorative paint production", it said in a press release.

The paint maker had previously announced plant closures in Ireland, the Netherlands and Zambia, as well as plans to cut about 2,000 jobs globally by the end of 2025.
The group, which has been battling a post-COVID slowdown, rising raw material costs and customer destocking, back then said those job cuts would help it save between 120 million and 150 million euros annually.