Lee Biscuits to close Johor factory as parent group restructures its business
Lee Biscuits will close its Pontian factory in Johor, Malaysia, at the end of October, ending decades of local biscuit production. The closure follows a wider restructuring by its parent group and will affect hundreds of employees.
JOHOR, MALAYSIA: Lee Biscuits, a longstanding biscuit brand founded in Singapore, will close its factory in Pontian, Johor, at the end of October 2026 as its parent group reportedly restructures its business and shifts away from snack manufacturing.
The closure will affect factory employees and marks another retreat from food manufacturing by the group, which has been focusing on its other holdings, including rubber and palm oil operations, according to Malaysian media reports.
Employees to remain temporarily before factory closes
The New Straits Times reported that the closure forms part of a restructuring exercise intended to consolidate the group's assets and concentrate on its core businesses.
Suppliers and customers began receiving notices about the production shutdown in September. Local media reported that about 300 employees would remain at the premises until the end of October, mainly to carry out cleaning and related duties.
The factory's senior management said the site had held several warehouse clearance sales over the preceding two weeks after the decision to cease operations. All remaining biscuit inventory had reportedly been sold.
The company's official website has been taken offline, while its social media pages were also unavailable.
Closure follows shutdown of pineapple cannery in 2023
The factory closure follows the group's shutdown of its Lee pineapple cannery in Skudai, Johor, in November 2023, as it shifted its focus towards oil palm cultivation.
That closure attracted considerable public attention, with large crowds reportedly queuing to buy the cannery's pineapple water before supplies ran out.
The latest shutdown represents another significant change for a brand associated with familiar biscuits and canned pineapple products among Malaysian consumers.
From Singapore beginnings to production in Johor
Lee Biscuits was founded in Singapore in 1934 by businessman and philanthropist Lee Kong Chian.
The company operated from Singapore for 21 years before relocating production to Malaysia in 1955, seeking access to the country's agricultural supply chains and industrial facilities.
Its manufacturing operations subsequently moved to Tampoi in Johor Bahru in 1995 before relocating to Pontian in 2005.
The brand became known for a range of biscuits and crackers, including Marie biscuits, saltine crackers, classic soda crackers, iced gem biscuits, lemon sandwich biscuits, banana tarts, animal crackers and spirulina whole wheat biscuits.
The Pontian factory's closure will end this chapter of the company's manufacturing history in Johor.
Consumers recall familiar products as workers face uncertainty
Netizens expressed sadness over the closure, recalling the brand's long history and praising the taste and quality of its biscuits and canned pineapple products.
Some described the loss of a familiar childhood brand, while others voiced concern about the hundreds of employees facing unemployment, particularly older workers who may encounter difficulties finding new jobs.
