Category Archives: St. Albans

ST. ALBANS— Company officials at the Energizer plant in St. Albans, say the battery and flashlight plant is closing by next September, but the Bennington plant will not be affected.
The closing would leave about 165 people jobless.
In a press release, Energizer announced the closure of the St. Albans plant on Thursday along with plants in Missouri and Malaysia and streamlining at plants in North Carolina and, internationally, in Canada and China.
No changes were announced to the manufacturing facility in Bennington.
Lawrence Miller, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, said on Friday morning that when state officials talked to Energizer representatives about the closure of the St. Albans plant, he was concerned about what it would mean to the plant in Bennington.
However, Miller said he was told the changes to Energizer’s operations are expected to have no effect on the plant in Bennington, which makes batteries for hearing aids.
Company spokesman Ken Fields says people these days need fewer of the lithium batteries that St. Albans has making since 1989.
He says more people are using smartphones with rechargeable batteries. And they’re not using multiple devices like a pager and a camera.
The Burlington Free Press reports the company said the flashlight production will be moved to other Energizer plants or sourced from its global supplier network.
The St. Louis-based company announced Thursday it plans to cut roughly 10 percent of its workforce as part of a cost-cutting overhaul that would eliminate about 1,500 jobs.

ST. ALBANS — After nearly 20 years of debate to get approval for a Walmart in St. Albans the developers are holding a ceremony to thank supporters.
Construction on the more than 140,000-square-foot store in a former hayfield started almost a month ago. The ceremony is being held Saturday.
The Burlington Free Press reports the store battle was over the desire for people in St. Albans to have easy access to inexpensive goods, versus the wish to preserve a historic downtown.
Downtown businesses, some of whom feared that Walmart would drive some people away from them, now think that the area can support both a giant discount retailer and city businesses.

ST. ALBANS — After nearly 20 years of debate to get approval for a Walmart in St. Albans there’s been another delay.
Developers planned to break ground on the store this month. But they said at a town meeting Monday that that’s more likely to happen in July.
WCAX-TV reported developer Jeff Davis said he wanted to have every permit in hand before any construction contracts are bid out.
The Walmart would open next year.
The Vermont Supreme Court last August upheld a state environmental court order giving the go-ahead for developer JLD Properties to build the 126,000-square-foot store near Route 7.
The court rejected an appeal by the Vermont Natural Resources Council, which had long opposed the store, saying it would bring in too much secondary development.

ST. ALBANS — After nearly 20 years of debate to get approval for a Wal-Mart in St. Albans, Vt., there’s been another delay.
Developers planned to break ground on the store this month. But they said at a town meeting Monday that that’s more likely to happen in July.
WCAX-TV reports developer Jeff Davis said he wanted to have every permit in hand before any construction contracts are bid out.
The Wal-Mart would open next year.
The Vermont Supreme Court last August upheld a state environmental court order giving the go-ahead for developer JLD Properties to build the 126,000-square-foot store near Route 7.
The court rejected an appeal by the Vermont Natural Resources Council, which had long opposed the store, saying it would bring in too much secondary development.