ABInBev has made staff cuts at its acquired craft breweries as sales of its craft beer portfolio dropped by 3.2% in 2022 versus the previous year.
The company reportedly laid off an unknown number of sales and marketing employees at breweries they have acquired over the years including Blue Point Brewery, Devil’s Backbone Brewing, Golden Road Brewing, Karbach Brewing Co. and Wicked Weed Brewing.
Layoffs also included centralized marketing staff at ABI’s New York office who supported craft brands.
The shift may be just the beginning of a broader move as ABInBev begins to shift its focus more towards the ‘beyond beer’ category. The company released 4th quarter earning yesterday with organic volume down by 0.6%. Company executives stressed in its earnings call yesterday to investors that it was directing attention to the beyond beer category.
More on the story by Sightlines here.