Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is to cut an estimated 1% of its US workforce, transitioning to a “hybrid” service model that will see the distributor lean more on technology.
The US-headquartered distributor employs around 21,900 people across the US, Canada and Latin America – the cuts apply only to its domestic operations. When asked today by Global Drinks Intel what percentage of its workforce is based in the US, Southern Glazer’s declined to disclose “any additional information” (1% of the total workforce would be 219 people).
In a statement yesterday (6 July), Southern Glazer’s said it intends to transfer “as many impacted employees as possible into the many open roles currently available across the organisation”. The estimated 1% of jobs to go will be in addition to any redistribution of staff to other areas of the business.
Miami-headquartered Southern Glazer’s said the new model “combines field sales, inside sales and digital commerce … to better support the varying needs of independent customers”. The approach leans on the alcohol distributor’s “repository of nationwide data, as well as its cutting-edge digital tools”.
“The marketplace is clearly signalling us to think differently about how we operate and best serve a portion of independent customers,” said CEO Wayne Chaplin. “We are redirecting our resources where the business is moving and towards areas of growth, all while listening to our customers and individual markets to satisfy their needs and using AI to help us adapt to a changing market.
“Ultimately, this new hybrid approach will create a more responsive and effective customer support model, while improving the earning opportunity and retention for our talented commercial sales organisation.
“We are committed to supporting our customers and continuing to provide the strongest portfolio of brands, deepest insights, and the most highly trained salesforce in the industry.”
Last month, Global Drinks Intel exclusively revealed that Southern Glazer’s is poised to drop ‘wines & spirits’ from its name. The privately owned company – formed in 2016 when Southern Wine & Spirits merged with Glazer’s – will become Southern Glazer’s Beverage Co this month.
