EX-FLORSHEIM PLANT SOLD TO CHICAGO FIRM

A Chicago company, Abbey Manufacturing, has purchased the former Florsheim shoe plant in Cape Girardeau and will employ 40 to 50 workers, some of them ex-Florsheim employees, to make shoes.

At Farmington, Trimfoot, a shoe-manufacturing business that closed last year after 58 years in business, has been purchased by Joe Scott and Larry Skaggs and is continuing operations under the name Trimfoot. The company, which imports shoes to sell to U.S. customers, will hire 55 to 60 people.

The Florsheim and Trimfoot plants closed last year, resulting in the loss of more than 450 jobs.

Tom Kelsey, broker for Lorimont Place Ltd., confirmed the Florsheim plant sale. A sold sign was posted Thursday in front of the building at West End Boulevard and Southern Expressway.

Lorimont Place Ltd. teamed up with Equis Corp. in Chicago to sell the Florsheim property, which included the building of 94,000 square feet and 12.6 acres of land.

Florsheim, headquartered in Chicago, closed the plant in December. At that time a Florsheim executive hinted at the sale to another Chicago manufacturer.

"We're confident that we have a buyer for the plant," a Florsheim spokesman said then. "We can't say at this time who the potential buyer is, but it could provide some jobs for the people working at Florsheim."

Abbey Manufacturing produces plastic molded parts and electronic circuit boards. Its primary products are plastic shelving and radios.

But it was learned that the company will take on a new name and manufacture shoes here for sale to Florsheim and other shoe companies. An Abbey spokesman in Chicago said a representative of the company was in Cape Girardeau this week, but the representative could not be reached to comment Thursday.

A Southeast Missouri Private Industry Council spokesman said the new company would be involved in producing shoes for Florsheim. PIC is helping former Florsheim employees train for new jobs.

Southeast Missouri experienced a significant number of plant and business closings and layoffs last year. Areas affected were Cape Girardeau, Chaffee, Sikeston and the Farmington-Park Hills area, and the latest, Scott City, where Supervalu warehouse announced it would close, resulting in the loss of 160 jobs. More than 2,200 workers have lost their jobs in those areas.