Brown-Forman job cuts – Industry death-spiral or prudent rightsizing? – Comment

Brown-Forman has started the year in consolidatory form, confirming the intention this week to reduce its headcount of 5,400 by almost 650. Understandably, the move, one of a brace of what the brand owner described as “strategic initiatives for growth”, has been linked by some observers to not only the group’s performances of late but also more generally to the state of the spirits industry in the US – Brown-Forman's biggest (and home) market.First things first; there’s a human element to this decision that should not be overlooked. While there’s never a good time to be told one’