Procter & Gamble closing Connecticut plant

Procter & Gamble Co. said it will close its hair-care product plant with 615 employees in Stamford, Conn., by early 2010. According to the Associated Press, some 200 employees at the Clairol plant will be offered transfers to other P&G locations, including 150 to the Cincinnati area where P&G is based. P&G said 415 jobs will be eliminated, with 180 of those employees qualifying for retirement. P&G has been cutting production and jobs at the plant since buying Clairol in 2001 from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. The plant makes hair-color products and some hair styling products. P&G said it will provide workers with assistance including pay and benefits for up to a year, outplacement help and a retraining allowance as jobs are eliminated leading up to the closure. The plant''s work will move to P&G facilities in Mariscala, Mexico; Andover, Mass.; Woodland Hills, Calif.; and Cincinnati.