Bud Light parent firm Anheuser-Busch announced layoffs after its boycott controversy involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The beer behemoth is trimming down its workforce by about two percent.
Bud Light Parent Anheuser-Busch Lays Off Employees
A six pack of Bud Light sits on a shelf for sale at a convenience store, July 26, 2018 in New York City. Anheuser-Busch InBev, the brewer behind Budweiser and Bud Light, said on Thursday that U.S. revenues fell 3.1% in the second quarter. American consumers continue to shift away from domestic lagers and toward crafts beers and wine and spirits.
As per The Washington Post, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, announced that it will be laying off hundreds of employees in the United States. The layoffs come after months of declining sales for Bud Light, which began after the company sent a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in April.
The Anheuser-Busch spokesperson says that the layoffs impact less than two percent of its US workforce, roughly 360 employees. The giant beverage maker flaunts 18,000 workers in the country. The looming job cuts specifically affect the corporate workforce of the Bud Light parent. And as such, the layoffs skip the brewing, sales, and warehousing units of the once-top-selling beer.
Anheuser-Busch chief executive Brendan Whitworth announced the workforce reduction. The Bud Light parent big boss says, "While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success."
Whitworth also explained that layoffs are necessary to "simplify and reduce layers" within the organization.
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - MAY 31: Empty Bud Light cans sit in the seats during the the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Guardians game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 31, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The layoffs come as Bud Light faces increasing competition from other brands, such as Modelo Especial. Out Kick reports that Modelo recently surpassed Bud Light in sales for the first time, and its sales are still growing. In other words, Model Especial is now the top-selling beer brand in America, dethroning Bud Light's long-time reign.
The Mulvaney controversy has had a lasting impact on Bud Light's sales. As NBC News reports, the beer brand's sales in the final week of June slumped by roughly 28 percent year on year. The figures are according to the Neilsen IQ data.
As the Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch weathers the storm of a boycott controversy, the aftertaste of layoffs lingers in the air. How the layoffs will impact Bud Light in the long run, remains to be seen. However, the brand faces serious challenges following the boycott campaign from conservatives targetting the trans partnership.
Although Withwoth assured that the company continues to stand behind the LGBTQ community, Mulvaney had a recent revelation. The trans influencer says that Bud Light's parent firm never contacted her amid the widespread attacks against her. She says it was worse "than not hiring a trans person at all."
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