Anheuser-Busch (AB) will fire about 400 employees at its corporate offices because sales have plunged since April 1, when Bud Light partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney..According to AB's website, the company has around 19,000 employees. However, it announced that job cuts would impact “less than 2%” of its workforce, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ)..The company told the WSJ the job cuts would not affect employees who work directly in the breweries and warehouses..The WSJ reported the company's restructuring would eliminate corporate and marketing positions at their main US offices in St. Louis, 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 AB CEO Brendan Whitworth in a written statement..“These corporate structure changes will enable our teams to focus on what we do best — brewing great beer for everyone.”.AB releases its second-quarter earnings on Aug. 2..AB has already removed marketing executives responsible for the unsuccessful Bud Light campaign involving Mulvaney..In June, a regional head of marketing told the Daily Caller that although Bud Light's parent company denied firing the marketing VP Alissa Heinerscheid and the group VP of Anheuser-Busch’s Daniel Blake, both were no longer with the company..“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,” said the source..It is unknown if any other employees were fired after Mulvaney's campaign, which caused a massive consumer boycott. .In one social media post, Mulvaney enjoyed a bubble bath with a Bud Light..People on social media are asking Whitworth to quit because of his poor response to the controversy. .In April, Whitworth 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.”.“And incompetent Anheuser-Busch Chief Executive Brendan Whitworth keeps his job. An affront to all Americans,” tweeted Kyle Hunter in response to the layoff announcement..“Brendan Whitworth, all you had to do was apologize but you won’t, so stick your AB beverages where the sun don’t shine!” tweeted Dan McCutcheon..The amount of Bud Light being sold has been steadily declining since April..In May, Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, became the new top-selling beer in America, stealing the title from Bud Light, which had held it for more than 20 years..During the week that ended on June 17, Bud Light experienced its biggest decrease in sales for a single week since its unsuccessful partnership with Mulvaney. .According to sales data from Bump Williams Consulting and NielsenIQ, Bud Light's sales dropped by 28.5% compared to the same time last year..During the Fourth of July weekend, which is a significant holiday for beer drinking in the US, Bud Light sales dropped by 23.6% in the one-week period that ended on July 8, according to Bump Williams data. This decline was compared to the same week in the year 2022.
