Consumer products giant Unilever said on Tuesday it would close down its margarine and mayonnaise plant in the Bulgarian town of Dobrich, moving the production of the Kaliakra brand to Romania.

The move will make 100 of Unilever's employees redundant, but the company said adequate compensation packages would be provided.

The relocation is part of the company's strategy to concentrate production in locations that offer the best prospects for future development.

Even though production will be moved to Ploiesti, in central Romania, the Kaliakra brand, one of the best-known in Bulgaria, will not be discontinued, company officials said.

Unilever opened the Ploiesti facility in December to serve as the nexus of its production capacities in the region.

Unilever Bulgaria, which had a turnover EUR 20 M last year, is part of Unilever's South Central Europe division, headquartered in Bucharest.

The regional division oversees operations in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldova and Albania, and had a turnover of EUR 175 M in 2005.

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