Potential buyers eye Novartis site as layoffs loom

At least six companies have toured a Novartis manufacturing facility that’s up for grabs in England.

Novartis announced a year ago that it is leaving Grimsby, England as the company shifts its focus from bulk API manufacturing to cell and gene therapy development. The closure in Grimsby is part of a wider restructuring plan that includes a nearly 20 percent reduction in the company’s work force by 2022.

According to local media, around 400 employees are waiting to find out their fate as Novartis meets with parties interested in the site. Novartis plans to end production there by 2020 and said that it hopes to sell the 220-acre site. In addition to the Grimsby plant, Novartis plans to shutter four facilities in Switzerland.

Read the local report.