OAN’s Noah Herring
11:51 AM – Thursday, July 27, 2023
Anheuser-Busch will reportedly lay off nearly 400 workers at its corporate offices due to low sales following a brand partnership with transgender actor and influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
In a statement to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on Wednesday, company representatives revealed that they will cut “less than 2%” of its 19,000 workforce.
However, according to the WSJ, these layoffs will reportedly not affect front-line workers such as brewery and warehouse staff. The restructuring will eliminate many corporate and marketing roles at major U.S. offices, including New York and Los Angeles.
“While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success,” said Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth.
“These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone,” he added.
According to the Daily Caller, a current regional head of marketing communicated that while Anheuser-Busch denied firing marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid and the group VP of the company’s mainstream portfolio, Daniel Blake, that they were “gone gone.”
After an online LinkedIn search of Anheuser-Busch and Bud Light employees, neither Alissa Heinerscheid nor Daniel Blake came up in the results as being current employees.
The anonymous internal source who informed the press of the layoffs, added, “To my understanding, if we publicly announced the word ‘fire,’ it opens up the potential for them to sue us. That’s why we said leave of absence.”
It is unclear if any other employees have been let go specifically due to the Mulvaney campaign.
However, many users on social media have repeatedly called for Whitworth to resign as CEO, especially after his attempt at addressing the controversy with a statement made in April where he said, “We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.”
Since April, sales have been on a declining slope. During the week of June 17th, Bud light saw its largest drop since the Mulvaney campaign, with sales falling 28.5% compared to the year prior.
On Fourth of July weekend, which is said to be the most popular beer-drinking holiday in the U.S. calendar, Bud Light sales fell 23.6% in one week ending on July 8th.
Since May, Modelo Especial has now officially taken over as America’s top-selling beer. Bud Light previously held that title for over 20 years.
The national boycott of Bud Light has also affected other beers in Anheuser-Busch’s portfolio, including Budweiser, Michelob Ultra, and Stella Artois.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts