Athens chicken plant closing; consolidating at Georgia site

<p>The Sweet Sue canned chicken plant, which became one of the Athens, Ala., area's top employers over four decades, is closing June 3 because the plant's owner will consolidate operations in Georgia.</p><p>The closure will mean a loss of 175 jobs.</p><p>Connors Bros. Income Fund, which bought the cannery in January as part of its Bumble Bee Seafoods brand, announced cost-cutting moves that include shutting down the Athens operation and consolidating production at its Castleberry's canned meat plant in Augusta, Ga.</p><p>The announcement Friday came one day after the company announced a first-quarter, 7-percent decline in Sweet Sue-Castleberry's sales.</p><p>Sweet Sue, founded in Athens in 1961, employed 400 when Sara Lee Corp. bought it in 1986. It was the third largest Athens employer at that time.</p><p>"Today, competition in the marketplace has made it imperative that we continue to reduce manufacturing costs to remain competitive," Christopher Lischewiski, Conners' president and chief executive officer, said of the consolidation.</p><p>The company said all qualified Athens employees would be offered a position at the Castleberry's plant and relocation assistance. It also said it will participate in finding a buyer for the Athens site.</p>