Major alcohol distributor shuts down operations, lays off over 500 workers

A large shake-up successful Colorado’s intoxicant organisation manufacture volition permission implicit 500 workers without jobs, aft a large brew and intoxicant distributor announced the shutdown of each operations successful the state.

For decades, Eagle Rock Distributing Company has been the motor down Colorado’s societal scene, delivering beers, wines, and spirits to the section retailers.

But pursuing a large acquisition by manufacture elephantine Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Eagle Rock’s Colorado concern is coming to a imperishable halt.

In a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed connected April 3, the institution confirmed that it volition unopen down each Colorado operations effective June 5, 2026.

The move, described arsenic an plus sale, volition effect successful the imperishable layoff of 514 employees, that is, each Eagle Rock workers successful Colorado.

The determination marks a important displacement successful Colorado’s intoxicant organisation scenery and highlights the accelerated consolidation taking spot crossed the beverage proviso chain.

A family-owned concern with roots successful Georgia and Colorado, Eagle Rock is 1 of the astir recognizable names successful beverage distribution. Over the years, they person acted arsenic a captious span betwixt trade brewers and section intoxicant retailers.

If you person ordered a brew astatine a Colorado barroom oregon picked up cases astatine a section store, Eagle Rock astir apt had a relation to play.

This Georgia-based distributor has been liable for delivering a wide scope of large beverage brands, including well-known Anheuser-Busch premium beers specified arsenic Busch Light, Budweiser, and Bud Light, arsenic good arsenic imported beers similar Hoegaarden and Stella Artois.

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Beyond beer, the institution has besides helped administer trade beers, spirits, vigor drinks, and wines, operating retired of six large hubs successful Colorado.

And present with them closing each its Colorado organisation centers, it has the imaginable to alteration however alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are distributed successful Colorado.

According to the WARN filing, the pursuing 6 sites volition beryllium closed:

1. Monument

2. Grand Junction

3. Loveland

4. Pueblo

5. Denver/Commerce City

6. Durango

A wide scope of occupation roles volition beryllium affected, including CDL drivers, warehouse workers, relationship managers, income specialists, logistics staff, and administrative employees.

Alcohol distributors play a captious relation successful the U.S. beverage industry.

Under the country’s three-tier intoxicant organisation system, producers specified arsenic breweries and wineries are not allowed to merchantability straight to retailers. Instead, they indispensable trust connected wholesale distributors to determination products from manufacturers to stores, bars, restaurants, stadiums, and hotels.