Shearer's Foods confirms Lubbock facility closing 'due to decrease in demand'

Shearer's Foods is closing its Lubbock, Texas, facility next month due to a decrease in demand, according to company officials.

The Massillon-based company, which produces private brand snacks at sites throughout the U.S. and Canada, has operated the Lubbock location since 2007.

The Lubbock facility will end operations on March 31, the company confirmed in an emailed statement. Shearer's told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that it was a "difficult decision."

"This decision came after closely analyzing our supply chain and determining how to best manufacture our products to service our customers," it said. "The decision was made largely due to a decrease in demand from the largest customer of the facility."

The confirmation came days after Clayton Dubilier & Rice, a private investment firm with offices in New York City and London, announced the completed acquisition of Shearer's Foods. Clayton Dubilier & Rice has declined to comment on any plans for its headquarters in Massillon and its production facilities in Massillon and Brewster.

Opinion: What does Shearer's Foods sale mean for Stark County? No comment

The company said Lubbock employees have been offered benefits to stay until March 31, including "severance pay based on tenure, continued health insurance benefits and payout of unused vacation time." Employees will be eligible to apply for unemployment benefits.

"Shearer’s is committed to assisting team members in finding new employment by offering opportunities to transfer to another Shearer’s facility, as well as connecting with employers in the Lubbock area to fill their open jobs," the communications team stated. "We are grateful for the many contributions of our dedicated team members in Lubbock. We will do our very best to support them in their transition within Shearer’s or externally."

The company has 17 manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Virginia, Iowa, and Ontario and Alberta provinces in Canada. Shearer's, a contract manufacturer and private label supplier, produces potato chips, tortilla chips, cheese curls, corn chips, cookies, crackers and wafers.

Shearer's began in the early 1900s with a market in Canton. The Shearer family − Jack and Rosemary Shearer and their sons, Bob and Tom − later founded the snack company in 1974.

Includes reporting by Alana Edgin of the Lubbock Avalance-Journal.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Shearer's Foods confirms pending closure of Lubbock facility