Clorox Co. (CLX), the consumer-products company that sells everything
from bleach to salad dressing, is pulling out of Venezuela after
inflation and government-mandated price freezes made the business
unprofitable,
reports Bloomberg.
Clorox Venezuela will cease operations immediately and try to sell its assets, according to a statement today.
“This is a very difficult situation for our company,” Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer Don Knauss said in the statement. “We are extremely
proud of the men and women who did their very best to operate our
business in the face of significant economic challenges. We are working
to support them through this transition.”
Clorox blamed triple-digit inflation and an almost three-year-long price
freeze, which forced the company to sell products at a loss. While the
government approved price increases this year, they weren’t high enough
to let Clorox Venezuela break even, the company said.