PHILADELPHIA, Miss. (AP) - American Greetings Corp., the nation's second-largest greeting card company but the largest publicly traded, is shutting down its plant in Philadelphia.
The closing will mean 140 employees will lose their jobs.
Plant officials informed employees on Monday of the closing. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company has not announced a definite date for the closure.
Patrice L. Sadd, manager of corporate communications for American Greetings, said the closing would make the company's supply chain more efficient and cost-effective.
Workers at the Philadelphia plant accessorized greeting cards with ribbons and other decorations.
''Moving forward, this hand-detailed work will be absorbed by other facilities inside of the company and several outside vendors,'' Sadd said Monday.
Michael Goulder, senior vice president of the company's supply chain, said in a statement that while the workload has been reduced at the plant, American Greetings explored all other options before deciding to close.
Philadelphia Mayor Rayburn Waddell said the plant opened in 1981.
''It's sad for the employees because some of them have worked there all their lives,'' Waddell said in a Meridian Star article. ''It's very disappointing.''
Waddell said the company still has a lease on the 98,000 square-foot facility, but the city is working to find a new tenant.
Sadd said employees would receive a separation package that includes insurance. She said the company will assist employees in resume writing and helping them to improve their interviewing skills.
American Greetings manufactures greeting cards, gift wrap, party goods, stationery, calendars and ornaments.
