For generations the hiss of tanks and the rumble of delivery trucks were part of the soundtrack in places like Newark and Merrimack. This week that soundtrack changed: Anheuser‑Busch announced it will sell its nearly 75‑year‑old Newark brewery and shut two other U.S. plants — in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and Fairfield, California — early next year.
What the company announced
The brewer said it will sell the Newark facility to the Goodman Group, which plans to convert the sprawling site to industrial manufacturing and logistics uses. Operations at the Merrimack and Fairfield plants will be shuttered. Altogether the three moves affect about 475 full‑time employees; Anheuser‑Busch says those workers will be offered roles at other U.S. facilities, with relocation stipends and training, and severance for those who choose not to relocate.
Company executives framed the changes as a consolidation: production from the three sites will be shifted to Anheuser‑Busch’s remaining U.S. breweries so the firm can “invest even more in our remaining operations and in our portfolio of growing, industry‑leading brands.” The closures reduce the brewer’s U.S. brewery count from 12 to nine.
A regional ripple, not just corporate math
The impact will be felt beyond payroll spreadsheets. Merrimack’s plant — in operation since about 1970 — is more than a factory to locals. It sits on some 300 acres along the Merrimack River, with athletic fields and even stables, and contributes roughly $1 million to $1.5 million a year toward the town’s sewage budget, officials say. The town recently assessed the property at about $35 million, producing more than $780,000 in annual property taxes; losing that revenue stream could strain municipal finances.
Newark’s site, opened in 1951, has been a prominent industrial presence near the airport and brewed core brands such as Budweiser and Bud Light for decades. Local leaders and longtime residents lamented the departure even as they welcomed the buyer’s stated plans to repurpose the property and Anheuser‑Busch’s commitments to assist employees.
On the other side of the consolidation, some facilities stand to gain production. The company’s Baldwinsville, N.Y., brewery — the largest in New York — is expected to absorb some of the output and jobs. That plant has been the target of recent investment: the company says it has put nearly $2 billion into modernizing roughly 100 U.S. facilities over the last five years, including tens of millions directed to upgrades in Baldwinsville that expanded capacity for non‑beer products like hard seltzers and ready‑to‑drink brands.
Why now?
The closures come amid a longer, industry‑wide recalibration. U.S. beer demand has been under pressure for several years; companies have been trimming costs, streamlining operations and placing bigger bets on faster‑growing product categories. Anheuser‑Busch itself has been diversifying beyond traditional beer, investing in seltzers, flavored malt beverages and other ready‑to‑drink lines — shifts that drive different production needs and economies of scale.
Executives say updating and concentrating production will allow them to better support “growing” brands and invest in fewer, larger hubs. For workers, the company says it will offer relocated positions, moving support and retraining. For communities, the loss is immediate: jobs, vendor contracts and tax revenue are all part of the calculus.
What comes next for workers and towns
Affected employees will spend the next weeks weighing relocation offers, retraining opportunities and severance options. Municipal officials in Merrimack and Newark will be working with planners and economic development partners to address property reuse, revenue shortfalls and the secondary effects on local suppliers.
For a company that became part of AB InBev after a 2008 acquisition and that has negotiated new labor pacts in recent years, the closures are a reminder that even established brands must adapt their manufacturing footprints as consumer tastes and logistics evolve.
This is a story that will play out locally — in town halls, on factory floors and in real estate deals — long after the corporate announcement is filed in a press release.