Saint-Gobain Interest In Perrier Bottle Plant

French buildings materials and packaging group Saint-Gobain, which currently earns 14% of turnover (EUR 3.8BN) from bottle production, has told Nestle Waters France that it is interested in acquiring its bottle plant in Vergeze in south-eastern France. The site in question, Verrerie de Languedoc (VDL), employs 490 in the production of glass bottles for Nestle's Perrier and San Pelligrino mineral water brands. Unions at VDL, which have been in dispute with management for years over the future of the site, were scheduled to hold talks with Saint-Gobain on 16 January 2006.