Anheuser-Busch to lay off employees after Bud Light loses spot as top-selling beer to Modelo in May

Beer maker Anheuser-Busch said Wednesday that it will lay off positions across its US corporate staff.

In a statement, an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said the restructuring “will simplify and reduce layers within its organization.” The layoffs will not include frontline staff such as “brewery and warehouse staff, drivers, and field sales, among others.”

The job eliminations represent “less than 2%” of the Anheuser-Bush US employee population, the statement said. The company’s website says that it employs “more than 19,000 employees nationwide.” Two percent of that figure would number about 380 positions.

“Today we took the very difficult but necessary decision to eliminate a number of positions across our corporate organization,” said Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth. “While we never take these decisions lightly, we want to ensure that our organization continues to be set for future long-term success.”

In May, Mexican lager Modelo Especial dethroned Bud Light as America’s top-selling beer, a title that Bud had largely held for more than two decades. The beer’s brand had been struggling due to the Dylan Mulvaney controversy, when the transgender influencer posted an Instagram photo of a custom can that Bud Light had sent her. That set off a flurry of anti-trans backlash, while LGBTQ+ advocates criticized Anheuser-Busch’s lackluster response.