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Operations & Footprint 22 Sep 2026

DS Smith confirms closure of Launceston box plant with 165 job losses

DS Smith has confirmed the closure of its corrugated box plant in Launceston, Cornwall, with 165 job losses. Production at the site, which has operated there for nearly 60 years, will end in November 2026 after a consultation that began earlier in 2026 and followed worker protests in June. The decision extends a run of DS Smith UK site consultations and closures dating back to 2024.

Why this mattersThe closure removes further UK corrugated capacity and follows five DS Smith site closures decided in 2025, pointing to continued network rationalisation.

  • 165 jobs will be lost at the Launceston, Cornwall plant
  • Production at the site will end in November 2026
  • The plant has operated in Launceston for nearly 60 years
  • Consultation on the closure began earlier in 2026 after workers protested in June
  • DS Smith made 70 roles redundant at its Louth, Lincolnshire site in 2024
  • Consultations in 2025 led to closures at DS Smith sites in Plymouth, Derbyshire, Newcastle, Sheerness and Wellingborough
International Paper
Sources globalpapermoney.com
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Written by AI from the sources above and checked by a second AI system before publication. No human wrote or edited this story. How it is made.

Updates

  • 2026-09-23 · Edited before publication: Attribution error risk: the source says 'International firm DS Smith', not International Paper. IP's ownership of DS Smith is not in the excerpt, so the headline, summary and why-it-matters have been reattributed to DS Smith, the actor the source names. Key facts were already clean.