The beer production plant at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery will close this spring, according to a Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice filed by Diageo North America on March 31. Layoffs are expected to affect 108 workers by June 29, including 97 production roles.
In a statement released to The Business Monthly, Diageo officials said the difficult decision to permanently close the manufacturing facility was made to ensure long term sustainable growth for Diageo.
“We are optimizing our existing operations across North America to meet evolving customer preferences,” they said, adding that Diageo would provide support to those affected by layoffs “in the form of severance packages, outplacement assistance, and employee assistance resources, as well as information on open roles across our organization.”
The decision does not impact hospitality operations at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery taproom and restaurant, which employ about 100 people.
“Since opening in 2018, the Baltimore taproom has welcomed more than 1,300,000 visitors,” Diageo officials said in their statement. “We will continue to brew experimental beers to serve the brewery’s taproom in the 10-barrel innovation brewery on the ground floor of the visitor center.”