Diageo has signed a sale agreement for one of its Crown Royal facilities in Canada, although details of the buyer remain unknown.
The site in Amherstburg, Ontario, was closed earlier this year as part of a wider plan to “streamline [Diageo’s] North American supply chain”. The brand owner confirmed that an agreement has been signed when contacted by Global Drinks Intel today (7 July).
“The process remains confidential and we are not currently in a position to share details regarding the purchaser,” the spokesperson added. “We will share additional information when appropriate.”
The Amherstburg facility, which is one of several sites that bottle the Canadian whisky brand for Diageo, employed nearly 200 people. The company said that bottling for Canada and international markets – excluding the US – will continue at a site in Valleyfield, which also distils and ages Crown Royal. The brand’s higher-end expressions, including those bound for the US, will continue to be bottled in Canada.
In October, following news of the Amherstburg facility’s closure, Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to pull Crown Royal and other Diageo brands from the shelves of the province’s alcohol retail monopoly if the brand owner proceeded with the move. Diageo responded by reaffirming its long-term commitment to Canada – insisting that the decision to shutter the Amherstburg site was not politically driven and would not alter its operational footprint in the country.
“We will maintain a significant presence across Canada,” the company said, highlighting its ongoing operations at sites in Gimli, Manitoba and Valleyfield, Quebec, as well as its national headquarters and warehousing presence in the Greater Toronto Area.
