Glass bottle plants closing after Bud Light boycott cuts sales

Jul 03, 2023

Karah Rucker Anchor/Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Anchor/Reporter), Stacey Chamberlain (Writer/Producer)

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More than 600 employees will be losing their jobs this month due in part to the backlash surrounding Bud Light, according to an internal message revealed by WRAL News. Two glass plants that make bottles for the beer giant are shutting down in mid-July.

Bud Light sales fell in May and into June after a nationwide boycott over the brand’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The ripple effect forced a glass plant in Wilson, North Carolina, to cut down bottle production.

Now, the plant’s owner, Ardagh Group, is closing that plant and another in Louisiana, laying off 625 employees. A memo from the Wilson plant manager said the closing was due to slow sales with Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Bud Light’s parent company, WRAL reported. Workers at the Wilson plant said the manager told employees during a recent meeting the boycott was forcing the shutdown.

However, some employees don’t blame the Bud Light boycott. They say the glass packaging industry itself is having problems, citing a drop in shipments and revenue that started in February before the beer controversy sparked in April.

Back then, the media predicted that Bud Light would bounce back from the boycott, but those reports were wrong.

Last week, SAN reported that Bud Light sales were at an all time low, down 28% year-over-year. That’s when the Anheuser-Busch Inbev CEO said a sales drop would directly impact frontline workers.

Now, Ardagh Group, one of the largest glass producers in the world, says it will be closing more plants in the future.

This is a story isn’t being covered by all media outlets. According to the Straight Arrow News Media Miss tool, a media miss by the left, meaning left-leaning news outlets have largely ignored this story. Check out which stories are being left out of the news cycle on the Straight Arrow News Media Miss page.

In a statement, Bud Light doubled down on its support of the LGBTQ+ community. But the company is expected to spend a record amount of money in marketing this summer to help quiet the boycott and boost sales.

Tags: Anheuser-Busch, Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney, LGBTQ, Louisiana, North Carolina

KARAH RUCKER: MORE THAN 600 EMPLOYEES WILL BE LOSING THEIR JOBS THIS MONTH DUE – AT LEAST IN PART TO – THE BACKLASH SURROUNDING BUD LIGHT, ACCORDING TO AN INTERNAL MESSAGE REVEALED BY A LOCAL NEWS OUTLET. TWO GLASS PLANTS THAT MAKE BOTTLES FOR THE BEER GIANT ARE SHUTTING DOWN IN MID-JULY.

DEMAND FOR BOTTLE PRODUCTION DOWN

BUD LIGHT SALES FELL IN MAY AND INTO JUNE AFTER A NATIONWIDE BOYCOTT OVER THE BRAND’S PARTNERSHIP WITH TRANSGENDER INFLUENCER DYLAN MULVANEY.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT FORCED A GLASS PLANT IN WILSON, NORTH CAROLINA TO CUT DOWN BOTTLE PRODUCTION.

NOW, THE PLANT’S OWNER – THE (ARE-DOG) ARDAGH GROUP – IS CLOSING THAT PLANT AND ANOTHER IN LOUISIANA, LAYING OFF 625 EMPLOYEES. A MEMO FROM THE WILSON PLANT MANAGER SAID THE CLOSING WAS DUE TO SLOW SALES WITH ANHEUSER-BUSCH INVEV, BUD LIGHT’S PARENT COMPANY, W-R-A-L REPORTED. AND WORKERS AT THE WILSON PLANT SAID THE MANAGER TOLD EMPLOYEES DURING A RECENT MEETING THE BOYCOTT WAS FORCING THE SHUT DOWN.

EMPLOYEES CITE GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY WOES BEFORE BOYCOTT

HOWEVER, SOME EMPLOYEES DON’T BLAME THE BUD LIGHT BOYCOTT. THEY SAY THE GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY ITSELF IS HAVING PROBLEMS – CITING A DROP IN SHIPMENTS AND REVENUE THAT STARTED IN FEBRUARY — BEFORE THE BEER CONTROVERSY SPARKED IN APRIL.

BUD LIGHT SALES AT ALL TIME LOW 3 MONTHS INTO BOYCOTT

BACK THEN – THE MEDIA PREDICTED THAT BUD LIGHT WOULD BOUNCE BACK FROM THE BOYCOTT – BUT THEY WERE WRONG. LAST WEEK WE REPORTED THAT BUD LIGHT SALES WERE AT AN ALL TIME LOW – DOWN 28-PERCENT YEAR OVER YEAR.

THAT’S WHEN THE ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV CEO SAID A SALES DROP WOULD DIRECTLY IMPACT FRONTLINE WORKERS.

NOW, ARDAGH – ONE OF THE LARGEST GLASS PRODUCERS IN THE WORLD – SAYS IT WILL BE CLOSING MORE PLANTS IN THE FUTURE.

MEDIA LANDSCAPE ON BUD LIGHT BOTTLE PLANT CLOSURE

THIS IS A STORY YOU WON’T FIND BEING COVERED BY ALL MEDIA OUTLETS.

THIS IS CONSIDERED A MEDIA MISS BY THE LEFT – MEANING LEFT-LEANING NEWS OUTLETS HAVE LARGELY IGNORED THIS STORY OF BUD LIGHT SALES WOES IMPACTING THIS AMERICAN BUSINESS. YOU CAN SEE WHAT STORIES ARE BEING LEFT OUT OF THE NEWS CYCLE ON OUR WEBSITE’S MEDIA MISS PAGE.

BUD LIGHT STANDS BY LGBTQ+ PARTNERSHIPS

IN A STATEMENT LAST WEEK, BUD LIGHT DOUBLED DOWN ON ITS SUPPORT OF THE LGBTQ-PLUS COMMUNITY. BUT IS EXPECTED TO SPEND A RECORD AMOUNT OF MONEY IN MARKETING THIS SUMMER TO HELP QUIET THE BOYCOTT AND BOOST SALES.