JOHOR BAHRU, Oct 23 — Marie biscuit maker Lee Biscuits is set to close its factory in Pontian, Johor, by the end of this month, AsiaOne reported.
The Singapore news portal cited Malaysian media reports yesterday that the 92-year-old company, also known as Nam Lee, may exit snack manufacturing to consolidate its assets and focus on its core holdings, including rubber and oil palm plantations.
Suppliers and customers reportedly began receiving notices about the closure last month, while the factory is also said to be laying off its employees.
China Press reported Pekan Nanas assemblyman Tan Eng Meng as saying he had received news of the impending closure.
Founded in 1934 by philanthropist Lee Kong Chian, the brand began in Singapore before moving production to Tampoi in Johor Bahru in 1955, and later to Pontian in 2005.
Apart from its Marie biscuits, the brand is known for its banana puffs, cream wafers, lemon crackers and sugar crackers.
Checks by AsiaOne on NTUC FairPrice’s online store found at least 23 Lee Biscuits products sold by the supermarket chain in Singapore.
The closure marks the second Lee Group food facility in Johor to cease operations in three years.
The group shut its Lee Pineapple cannery in Skudai in November 2023 amid its focus on oil palm cultivation, the New Straits Times reported.
