Top alcohol distributor closing Charlotte, Raleigh sites and laying off over 50
One of the nation’s largest alcohol distributors is closing two facilities in North Carolina, laying off almost 40 workers in Charlotte and nearly 15 in Raleigh.
Republic National Distributing Company, based in Grand Prairie, Texas, is perhaps the second-largest distributor of wine and spirits in the U.S. But the almost 130-year company is in the process of restructuring its operations.
With that transition, Republic National is closing its warehouse at 6701-H Northpark Blvd. in Charlotte and a space at 7221 Becky Circle in Raleigh, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) report filed on June 2. Such notices are required by federal law during mass layoffs.
With the closures, 39 people will be laid off in Charlotte by July 31, along with 14 people in Raleigh.
Part of Republic National’s restructuring includes selling its assets. The two North Carolina facilities are expected to be purchased by a third party, according to the WARN report.
With the sale, the employees at the site will lose their jobs. But the purchaser may offer some employees a position, the report added.
It’s unclear who the buyer will be. Republic National did not immediately respond to comment requests Wednesday.
Other layoffs by Republic National
The layoffs in North Carolina are part of a large wave of cuts by the distributor since the spring.
In April, Republic National filed WARN reports across several states, including Florida, Texas and West Columbia, South Carolina, news outlets previously reported. And in May, the distributor filed additional WARN notices in South Dakota and Washington.
In total, nearly 5,400 people will be laid off by Republic National across 11 states.
About Republic National Distributing Co.
Republic National can trace its roots back to 1898. But it became Republic National Distributing Company in 2007 after a merger between Republic Beverage Company and National Distributing Company, according to the distributor’s website.
Layoffs began last year for the distributor when it exited the California market. Last year, Republic National CEO Bob Hendrickson said the exit was due to rising operational costs and supplier changes.
Nearly 1,500 employees were laid off in California.
At the end of May, Republic National announced it completed the sale of 10 markets to Reyes Beverage Group, a competitor. That sale is part of the reason layoffs rose in April and May. The 10 markets were Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
The distributor is also planning to sell its Hawaii operations to Reyes Beverage as well.
Republic National is a privately held company. Last year, it had about 13,000 employees and saw $10.5 billion in revenue, according to Forbes. The magazine ranked Republic National as 49th in its top American private companies in the food, drink and tobacco field.
