Ukrainian owner shuts down Budapest’s Bonbonetti factory
The Bonbonetti confectionery factory in Budapest, owned by the Ukrainian Roshen group, has been permanently shut down after halting production in April 2023. This closure marks the end of a historic institution that had operated since 1868 and follows a previous closure of the company’s factory in Nagykanizsa a decade ago.
Bonbonetti factory shuts down
According to Népszava, Roshen CEO Oleksandr Holovashchuk explained that production in Budapest had dwindled to about 10% of its initial capacity before operations ceased. Financial losses and outdated facilities were key factors behind the decision. According to data from Opten, Bonbonetti’s annual revenue ranged between EUR 3.3 and 3.5 million, insufficient to cover operating costs. The factory’s last significant modernisation occurred in the 1930s, and its location in a densely built urban environment made any expansion unfeasible.
According to Interfax, following the closure, some of the factory’s equipment was transported to Roshen’s facility in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, while the remaining machinery in Hungary was decommissioned.
Roshen, ranked as the 27th largest confectionery producer globally, manages an extensive portfolio of facilities, including factories in Ukraine, Lithuania, and Hungary. The company produces over 320 types of confectionery products, amounting to 300,000 tons annually. It operates approximately 70 stores in Ukraine and is owned by Oleksiy Poroshenko, the son of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The Budapest factory’s closure represents a significant loss for Hungary’s confectionery industry and marks another chapter in the challenges faced by historic manufacturing sites in the modern economy.
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Time for Hungarian companies to step up to the plate and produce a much better product.
Had no idea Roshen was Ukrainian, but anyway, another manufacturer to add to the boycott list!