Central Cigarette Company Limited, the local subsidiary of British American Tobacco, said yesterday that it intends to start talks with the employees and the General Workers’ Union on the proposed closure of its factory in Zejtun.

The proposal is the result of an in depth review that investigated the future viability of its manufacturing capacity in Malta.

The review was prompted by a recent announcement by British American Tobacco that its preferred future manufacturing strategy in Europe is to concentrate manufacturing in two large manufacturing hubs based in the EU region, the company said yesterday in a statement.

General manager of CCC Ltd, Ronnie Abela, said: “We very much regret this outcome which we have worked hard over recent years to prevent. Regrettably, the cost of the finished manufactured product in Malta is uncompetitive when compared to the cost of the same product from other factories in the region, and the size and geographical location of our operations militate against us.”

Central Cigarette Company Limited said it was fully aware of its responsibilities to its employees and to other stakeholders and was committed to doing everything possible to mitigate the impact of the proposed closure.

The company also reassured its customers that these developments have no impact whatsoever on the future quality and supply of its products.