Anheuser-Busch to lay off hundreds nationally; impact on Fort Collins unknown

Anheuser-Busch will lay off hundreds of employees nationally amid declining sales for its Bud Light brand, according to multiple media reports.

Bud Light for two consecutive months lost its position as the No. 1 selling beer in the U.S., losing the top spot to Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager. Bud Light sales declined after it partnered with a transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, sparking a consumer boycott of the beer.

The employment cuts will affect about 2% of the company’s workforce nationally, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal, CNN and other outlets. With 19,000 employees, as stated on the company’s website, that would total about 380 positions eliminated.

It’s unclear how the cuts will affect the company’s Fort Collins brewery, which employs about 525 workers, according to BizWest research.

A BizWest inquiry to Anheuser-Busch was not immediately returned. But in a media statement, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth said the company “took the very difficult but necessary decision to eliminate a number of positions across our corporate organization.

‘While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success,’ he said.

The Wall Street Journal and other outlets reported that the cuts will affect corporate and marketing positions and will spare brewery and warehouse staff.

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