Verallia falls on potential closures of site, furnaces in Europe

Verallia SA

18/02/2026 09:12

** Shares in Verallia VRLA.PA fall 4.8% after the French glass bottle maker said on Tuesday it considered the closure of a site in Germany and the shutdown of two furnaces in France and in the UK in parallel with the restart of a more efficient furnace in Leeds

** The company, which makes bottles for champagne and cognac among other beverages, said it was starting a business review due to weaker demand partly linked to reduced alcohol consumption in Europe (-4% since 2019)

** The review might result in cutting up to 360 jobs in Germany and France, Verallia said

** "The message regarding demand for alcoholic beverages (especially certain categories such as cognac) is not very encouraging for the market," brokerage Equita says

** The Paris-listed stock is among top fallers on France's SBF 120 .SBF120 Index

** It tracks its worst day since late October, if losses hold

 (Reporting by Alessandro Parodi)

 ((Alessandro.Parodi@thomsonreuters.com))