Mauco Cartex, based in Peujard (Gironde) and Fléac (Charente), will not be closing its doors. On October 24, the Libourne Commercial Court validated the sole takeover offer submitted as part of the receivership proceedings initiated five months earlier. The GDCom group, a Loire-based holding company specializing in packaging and communications, with 570 employees and sales of 60 million euros, becomes the new owner of the packaging manufacturer.
With this decision, 54 of the 73 jobs have been maintained. While the Filpac CGT book trade union in Bordeaux regrets the job cuts, it stresses that it has avoided the scenario of outright liquidation, which would have put an end to all activity.
A company weakened by difficulties in the wine industry
Specialized in packaging for wines and spirits, Mauco Cartex has borne the full brunt of the wine industry's destabilization . In the space of eighteen months, its sales have fallen by a third, reaching 11.5 million euros in 2024. According to Sarah Escat, the company's managing director, the disruptions are multiple: repeated climatic hazards, a decline in red wine consumption, but above all geopolitical and commercial tensions.
In March, candidate Donald Trump's protectionist statements precipitated a sharp drop in orders. Shortly afterwards, Beijing applied a 35% surtax on European spirits in response to Brussels' measures. "Even our landscape has changed. It's ultra violent and very fast." sarah Escat told us last June.
Union support for Mauco Cartex's emergency plan
Faced with the absence of bank support and the refusal of cash advances, management opted for receivership. As early as June, Filpac CGT Bordeaux mobilized to obtain institutional support, calling on government departments, local authorities and elected representatives.
The union claims to have played an active role in the site's recovery, in particular through the support of volunteer experts. Carlos Tunon, the union's general secretary, was even received by the relevant ministry. " This coordinated mobilization drew attention and created the conditions for effective institutional support, without which this takeover would probably never have seen the light of day" it states in a press release.
A conditional future for the packaging company
The court's decision does not mark the end of the legal proceedings. Several stages remain to be completed in order to legally ratify the GDCom takeover plan. The union remains vigilant: respect for collective agreements, maintenance of working conditions and social benefits, faithful execution of the plan... All these points will be monitored over the long term.
The CGT is also calling for stronger on-site union action, believing that "only collective strength can guarantee the company's future" . A request for structured social dialogue was made to the new management.
