Ghost

Portuguese group Ghost misses deadline to rescue Fibre Excellence French pulp mill

Portuguese hygiene-products group Ghost has proposed investing about EUR 200m (USD 224m) to restart pulp production at Fibre Excellence's Saint-Gaudens mill in southern France and build a 50,000 sqm hygiene-products plant, but filed no formal rescue bid before the Toulouse commercial court's 22 October deadline. According to the French press, Ghost needs at least six more months to finalise its plan, which makes judicial liquidation likely; about 250 jobs are at risk and the court has a hearing set for 3 November.

Why this mattersLiquidation would end one of France's last pulp production sites, leaving French paper and tissue makers more dependent on pulp from elsewhere.

• Ghost plans to invest about EUR 200m (USD 224m) to restart pulp production and build a 50,000 sqm hygiene-products plant at Saint-Gaudens
• The Toulouse commercial court's deadline for formal rescue proposals expired on 22 October 2026 without a bid from Ghost
• Three documents were filed instead: from the Occitanie region, the French state and Ghost reiterating its interest
• Ghost reportedly needs at least six more months to complete its industrial and financial plan
• Saint-Gaudens employs between 244 and 270 workers and is one of France's last pulp production sites
• The Toulouse commercial court has a hearing set for 3 November 2026

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