{
  "id": 16172660,
  "title": "Lee Biscuits, brand behind Marie biscuits, to cease production & close M'sia factory after 92 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/lee-biscuits-brand-behind-marie-biscuits-to-cease-production-close",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-23T10:20:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/10/lee-biscuits-close/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Lee Biscuits, a 92-year-old biscuit brand also known as Nam Lee, has announced that it will cease production and close its factory in Pontian, Johor by the end of October 2026. The brand is renowned for its Marie biscuits, lemon sandwich biscuits, and iced gem biscuits, with products still available for purchase on supermarket websites and online retailers. According to the New Straits Times, this decision is part of a restructuring program as the firm's parent group shifts its focus to core holdings and consolidates its assets, which include rubber and palm oil.\n\nSuppliers and customers were notified of the manufacturing freeze since September, and the factory reportedly laid off employees. The closure comes as the second food-handling factory the group has shut down in Johor within three years, with their pineapple canning plant in Skudai closing on November 1, 2023. Established in 1934 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian, the brand initially based in Singapore for 21 years before relocating to Malaysia in 1955 to capitalize on the country's agricultural supply chains and industrial space.",
  "summary": "The move is part of a restructuring program and the factory's employees are reportedly being laid off.",
  "key_points": [
    "Lee Biscuits to end production by Oct 2026",
    "Factory in Pontian, Johor to close",
    "Part of restructuring, focus on core holdings"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The decision signals a strategic pivot away from food manufacturing as the parent group consolidates its assets to prioritize core holdings in the rubber and palm oil sectors.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Marie biscuits maker Lee Biscuits shutters Johor factory after 92 years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/marie-biscuits-maker-lee-biscuits-shutters-johor-factory-after-92",
        "published": "2026-10-23T05:06:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "End of an era: Marie biscuit maker Lee Biscuits closing Johor factory",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/end-of-an-era-marie-biscuit-maker-lee-biscuits-closing-johor-factory",
        "published": "2026-10-23T08:06:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}