Listen to this articleAfter nearly 75 years in Newark, the Anheuser-Busch brewery will close early next year following the sale of the property, company officials confirmed.
In a statement to NJBIZ, a spokesperson said the St. Louis-based company sold the property along Routes 1 & 9 for an undisclosed sum to the Goodman Group, a major industrial property developer.
Anheuser-Busch said the move is part of a broader strategy to optimize production. The company added it will also close two breweries in California and New Hampshire, the media representative said. After that, the company will shift operations from those three sites to its other U.S. facilities.
“These changes will enable us to invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry-leading brands,” the company said. Anheuser-Busch also noted it has invested nearly $2 billion across its 100 locations nationwide to update and modernize operations.
Located across from Newark Liberty International Airport, the local site is the second oldest of the company’s 12 U.S. facilities. Brands brewed there include Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light, Natural Light and Rolling Rock.
Job protections
According to Anheuser-Busch, the Goodman Group plans to repurpose the 3.2 million-square-foot location for “industrial manufacturing and logistics uses.”
The company said that the approximately 475 full-time employees who work at its three closing facilities will have the opportunity to take roles elsewhere in its U.S. operations or receive severance.
In a statement shared with NJBIZ, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said, “I am sorry to see Budweiser leave our city after having called Newark home since 1951 and been part of so many families’ history here. But I’m glad to know that the brewery intends to take care of the employees by helping them relocate and retrain, or take a severance package.”
He went on to wish the company and all its employees well. Baraka also added, “And I welcome the Goodman Group as it prepares to put roots in Newark.”
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters shared a statement with PIX11 News saying, “Due to the strong contract the Teamsters negotiated and ratified in 2024, there are job protections for all members at Anheuser-Busch facilities nationwide. The agreement ensures that even if breweries close, employment, wages, and seniority are protected for all of our members — benefits that would never be afforded to workers who do not have a strong union contract.”
“All workers have been given the option of new brewery jobs with generous relocation money. The Teamsters Union is working with our members at impacted facilities to make sure they are safeguarded during this transition process,” the group said.
