The plant in Launceston produces corrugated boxes and has been in operation for nearly 60 years. Currently, the plant employs about 167 people.
May 2, 2026 - The BBC reported that DS Smith has confirmed a "proposal had been made" to close its corrugated box packaging plant on Link Road in Launceston, a small town in the county of Cornwall, England, (UK), and the company is engaging in consultation with some 167 employees.
"To improve efficiencies across our business and to ensure we respond to the evolving needs of our customers in what are tough trading conditions for the industry, we have undertaken a review of our UK packaging operations," DS Smith stated according to the BBC article.
Local officials said the plant's staff have reacted with "shock and disappointment" to the proposed closure of a packaging site which has been a major employer for nearly 60 years.
Cornwall Council member Adrian Parsons, Liberal Democrat, said, "I'm hearing shock and disappointment from staff — they are worried about losing their jobs and about the future.
"As a young lad growing up locally, travelling past the site daily on the school bus, we saw it develop and evolve, from the early days of Tillotsons, to St Regis, and then to DS Smith, eventually, I understand, being taken over by an American company [International Paper]. For so many people in Launceston, it has offered opportunity and provided work for local families," Parsons said on his Facebook page.
Ben Maguire, Liberal Democrat MP for North Cornwall, directed criticism at government for its "anti-business" approach and said companies such as DS Smith were being "hammered."
Describing job losses as a "trend across North Cornwall", Maguire said his inbox was "absolutely flooded" with small and medium-sized businesses complaining about rises in national insurance costs and minimum wage hikes.
Parsons concluded, "The potential loss to our town cannot be underestimated and the impact would be widely felt. I sincerely hope meaningful discussions can be held with the owners to find a responsible way forward for all the staff. It is those employees who have made the site the success it is today, and they deserve better."
SOURCE: The BBC and other news outlets