Anheuser-Busch will close its beer manufacturing plant in Merrimack early next year, the beverage maker announced Thursday, shuttering a facility that’s been in operation for more than 50 years and dealing an economic blow to the region.
The factory, which first opened its doors in 1970, employs approximately 125 full-time workers in New Hampshire.
The company says employees will be offered jobs at other Anheuser-Busch facilities nationwide. Severance packages will also be awarded, though the beverage giant provided no specifics.
The news quickly rippled through Merrimack and beyond Thursday.
“I feel sorry for those individuals, two weeks before Christmas, getting the news that their jobs are going away,” says Paul Micali, Merrimack’s town manager.
Micali says the brewery was integral to the town’s manufacturing base — and its identity.
“It’s people’s brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles. If you grew up in town, there was always somebody who worked at Anheuser-Busch that you knew,” he says.
AB InBev, the company created in 2008 following the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by Belgium beer giant InBev, is the world’s largest brewer. Its brands include Budweiser, Natural Light and Stella Artois.
Its facility in Merrimack encompasses 300-acres along the Merrimack River and includes sporting fields and a horse stable. The brewery offers tours, tastings and rooms for private events.
The company did not say when it will officially shut down. But its impending closure will deal a blow to its employees, as well as vendors in the area who did business with the company.
Merrimack officials are also worried about what it will mean for their town's finances.
“It’s going to have significant budget impacts,” said Micali.
The town modified its wastewater and sewage operations to accommodate the large amount of liquid moving through the plant, according to Micali. He says Anheuser-Busch pays approximately $1 million to $1.5 million to the sewage budget annually.
The town recently assessed the property at $35 million, with property taxes of more than $780,000 annually.
Along with the Merrimack plant, Anheuser-Busch announced Thursday it would also shutter a facility in Fairfield, California, and also plans to close a facility in Newark, New Jersey. In total, 475 full-time employees nationwide are affected.
