Lee Biscuits to close Pontian factory and sell the site
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- Lee Biscuits Malaysia Sdn Bhd stopped production at its Pontian, Johor factory in October 2026; about 300 workers stay to clean up until month-end and then lose their jobs.
- Management says the factory will be sold; it had not been put on the market as of 22 October. Its land and built-up sizes are not public.
- It is the Lee group’s second Johor food factory to shut since the Lee Pineapple cannery closed in 2023; Lee Pineapple has also sold 552.5 acres in Mukim Pulai to Scientex since 2020.
Lee Biscuits Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the 92-year-old maker of Lee Marie biscuits and cream crackers, has stopped production at its factory at 88 Jalan Kukup, Rimba Terjun, Pontian, in Johor, and will close it at the end of October 2026. Senior management confirmed the closure to Oriental Daily on 21 October and said the factory will not be kept as a company asset. It is to be sold, but had not been put on the market as of 22 October.
About 300 workers are staying until the end of the month to clean up and wind down, and then lose their jobs. Suppliers and customers were told in September, and the last stock sold out at clearance sales. Management said the closure is not caused by losses but is part of the Lee group's overall plan, and that the group may leave biscuit making altogether, with no new brand planned. 8TV reported that the group is leaving snacks to focus on its core businesses, including rubber and oil palm. Pekan Nanas assemblyman Tan Eng Meng confirmed he had been told of the closure, China Press reported.
The factory
- Address: 88 Jalan Kukup, Rimba Terjun, 82000 Pontian, Johor
- History: the brand was founded in Singapore in 1934 by Lee Kong Chian. Production moved to Tampoi, Johor Bahru, in 1955 and to this Pontian factory in 2005
- Size: the land and built-up areas have not been made public
- Status: production has stopped; the factory is to be sold but is not yet listed
The group's other Johor exits
This is the second food factory the Lee group has shut in Johor in three years.
- 1 November 2023: the Lee Pineapple cannery on Jalan Skudai, Johor Bahru, closed after 92 years. An executive said the land was no longer suitable for pineapples, and the company was reported to be moving to oil palm
- September 2020: Lee Pineapple Company agreed to sell 202.24 acres of freehold land in Mukim Pulai to Scientex Bhd for about RM185 million, or RM21 psf
- June 2024: it agreed to sell Scientex another 350.26 acres in Mukim Pulai for RM381.43 million, about RM25 psf. The sale completed in February 2025 (our report)
That is 552.5 acres in Mukim Pulai sold for about RM566 million since 2020.
Land values nearby
- Mukim Rimba Terjun: Faire Holdings' IPO prospectus values its 25.49-acre plot there at RM16.5 million (about RM14.86 psf) and an 11.44-acre plot at RM7.5 million (about RM15.05 psf). Both are held for future development, not factories (our report)
- Mukim Pulai: Scientex agreed this month to pay RM26.50 psf for 502.59 acres
Because the factory's size has not been disclosed, its likely price cannot yet be worked out.
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