Lakeland Fire + Safety Announces Closure of Hull, UK and Quitman, Arkansas Facilities as Part of Strategic Consolidation Plan
Rhea-AI Summary
Lakeland Fire + Safety (NASDAQ: LAKE), a global manufacturer of protective clothing, announced the closure of facilities in Hull, UK and Quitman, Arkansas as part of its strategic consolidation plan. The closures are expected to generate $1 million in annual savings for fiscal year 2026.
The company has identified additional initiatives projected to yield $3 million in annualized savings, bringing total cost reductions to $4 million. Lakeland will retain key non-warehouse staff in Hull and consolidate Quitman's production into other facilities. The company is also implementing a global ERP system and Lean Six Sigma initiatives to enhance operational efficiency over the next 12-24 months.
Positive
- Expected $4 million in total annual cost savings through consolidation initiatives
- Implementation of global ERP system and Lean Six Sigma for improved operational efficiency
- Retention of key non-warehouse staff in Hull to maintain UK operations
Negative
- Closure of two facilities affecting workforce in Hull, UK and Quitman, Arkansas
- Potential short-term operational disruption during consolidation process
- Cost savings not expected to materialize until second half of fiscal 2026
News Market Reaction – LAKE
In the trading session that priced this news, LAKE gained 0.71%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., July 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lakeland Industries, Inc. (“Lakeland Fire + Safety” or “Lakeland”) (NASDAQ: LAKE), a leading global manufacturer of protective clothing and apparel for industry, healthcare and first responders, today announced the planned closures of its warehouse facility in Hull, England and its Veridian manufacturing facility in Quitman, Arkansas.
These planned actions are part of Lakeland’s broader operational consolidation strategy aimed at enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. The closures are expected to generate annual savings of approximately
“We want to express our deep gratitude to the dedicated teams in both Hull and Quitman,” said Jim Jenkins, CEO and Executive Chairman of Lakeland Industries. “Their hard work and commitment have been instrumental to Lakeland’s and Veridian’s success over the years. While these decisions are difficult, they are necessary to align with our strategic initiatives focused on operational efficiency, regional consolidation, and long-term growth.”
Lakeland remains committed to supporting affected employees through these transitions and to maintaining uninterrupted service to its global customer base. The Company will retain key non-warehouse staff from the Hull facility to continue supporting Lakeland’s industrial operations in the UK and will consolidate production from Quitman into other Lakeland and Veridian facilities.
“As we move forward, we remain highly focused on driving sales growth, process improvements and efficiencies across our business,” added Jenkins. “Over the next 12 to 24 months, we will continue to consolidate warehousing, logistics, and manufacturing operations globally in support of a more agile and cost-effective Lakeland. In parallel, we are rolling out a global ERP system and implementing Lean Six Sigma initiatives designed to deliver greater planning accuracy, enhanced forecasting capabilities, and improved operational intelligence. These efforts will strengthen our ability to make data-driven decisions, improve customer responsiveness, and support scalable, profitable growth.”
About Lakeland Fire + Safety
Lakeland Fire + Safety manufactures and sells a comprehensive line of fire services and industrial protective clothing and accessories for the industrial and first responder markets. Our products are sold globally by our in-house sales teams, our customer service group, and authorized independent sales representatives to a strategic global network of selective fire and industrial distributors and wholesale partners. Our authorized distributors supply end users across various industries, such as integrated oil, chemical/petrochemical, automobile, transportation, steel, glass, construction, smelting, cleanroom, janitorial, pharmaceutical, and high-tech electronics manufacturers, as well as scientific, medical laboratories and the utilities industry. In addition, we supply federal, state and local governmental agencies and departments, including fire and law enforcement, airport crash rescue units, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control. Internationally, we sell to a mix of end-users directly and to industrial distributors, depending on the particular country and market. In addition to the United States, sales are made into more than 50 foreign countries, the majority of which were into China, the European Economic Community ("EEC"), Canada, Chile, Argentina, Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, India, Uruguay, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.
For more information about Lakeland, please visit the Company online at www.lakeland.com.
"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that phrase is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, which address Lakeland's expectations of sources or uses for capital, or which express the Company's expectation for the future with respect to financial performance or operating strategies, including statements regarding our operational efficiency plans, can be identified as forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions as described from time to time in Press Releases and Forms 8-K, registration statements, quarterly and annual reports and other reports and filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission or made by management. As a result, there can be no assurance that Lakeland's future results will not be materially different from those described herein as "believed," "projected," "planned," "intended," "anticipated," "can," "estimated" or "expected," or other words which reflect the current view of the Company with respect to future events. We caution readers that these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company hereby expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in the Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which such statement is based, except as may be required by law.
Contacts
Lakeland Fire + Safety
256-600-1390
Roger Shannon
Chief Financial Officer
rdshannon@lakeland.com
Investor Relations
Chris Tyson
Executive Vice President
MZ Group - MZ North America
949-491-8235
LAKE@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us
