Lee Biscuits Malaysia Sdn Bhd plans to close its Pontian factory by the end of October, a move that Oriental Daily reported will affect about 300 employees in Johor.
Production at the factory had stopped by Oct. 22, Oriental Daily reported. Employees are expected to remain at the site through month-end to clean the premises and finish closeout work, the newspaper said.
A series of warehouse sales during the preceding two weeks cleared the factory's biscuit inventory, a senior manager told Oriental Daily. The manager said customers who called to buy at the factory were referred to retailers. Oriental Daily also reported that the property was being prepared for resale but had not been formally listed; it named no buyer or sale price.
The New Straits Times reported that the parent group plans to leave snack manufacturing as it consolidates assets and focuses on rubber and palm oil operations. Oriental Daily separately reported that management linked the shutdown to the group's development plan and said it was not due to losses. The newspaper said management did not explain those considerations further.
The closure follows the group's shutdown of a pineapple cannery in Skudai. Oriental Daily reported that the cannery closed in November 2023. A senior manager told the newspaper the earlier closure had drawn buyers when few local producers offered pineapple juice and canned pineapple, while the biscuit market now has more competing options. The manager said a similar rush was unlikely.
Lee Biscuits' former milestones page traces its incorporation to Singapore in 1934, followed by a move to Johor Bahru in 1955 and a relocation to Pontian in 2005. Malaysia's Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) lists the Pontian business in its directory and includes Marie biscuits and cream crackers among its products.
The factory is expected to close by the end of October; Oriental Daily did not report a specific final date.
