Crocs to close costly Canadian plant

QUEBEC CITY, April 15 (UPI) -- Resin shoemaker Crocs Inc. announced Tuesday its Canadian factory in Quebec City will close this summer because of high production costs.

In a statement, Crocs President and Chief Executive Officer Ron Snyder said to remain competitive, the company's best strategy is to consolidate production at seven lower-cost facilities in Bosnia, Brazil, China, Italy, Mexico, Romania or Vietnam.

The statement said of the 669 employees at the Quebec City plant, 262 have already been laid off and the remaining 407 will lose their positions by the end of July.

"This type of decision is always hard to make because it affects the lives of people who have contributed to our company's success," Snyder said.

The company will keep about 100 sales and marketing staff in Quebec City and has plans to expand some existing stores and open new ones in Canada, the statement said.

The company's lightweight resin shoes are sold at some 10,000 locations in 80 countries, the company said.