Philip Morris will close all factories in Germany

The Berlin plant where tobacco is processed will close in the first half of 2025 and the Dresden cigarette factory in the middle of the same year, the newspaper writes. Since 2019, the second city has been processing finely cut tobacco, which customers can buy and roll themselves, the publication notes.

According to him, the reason for the closure of production is that the demand for cigarettes in Europe has decreased considerably in recent years. Furthermore, this trend is expected to continue for several more years, Bild added.

In total, 372 employees will be laid off, including about 270 in Dresden, the newspaper reported. Philip Morris is trying to “offer fair and socially acceptable solutions to all potentially affected employees,” the tobacco company said in a statement cited by Bild. Talks with works councils and social partners should begin soon, the publication writes.

The day before, on October 28, the German Volkswagen announced that it would close at least three factories in Germany and lay off “tens of thousands” of employees to reduce costs. The company did not specify which companies would close or how many of its approximately 300,000 workers would be laid off.