Guelph’s Sleeman Breweries has cut the workforce at its Dartmouth, N.S. brewery almost in half while in talks with “prospective buyers” for the plant.
The company, owned since 2006 by Japanese beer giant Sapporo, announced recently it has cut the plant’s workforce by 14 full- and part-time staff.
Sapporo had announced in March it would close the Dartmouth plant this summer if no buyer could be found for the facility.
Pierre Ferland, Sleeman’s vice-president of operations, said Oct. 30 the company has committed to maintain “as many jobs as possible” during the sale process, but “it’s become clear a new owner would not be able to maintain the entire staff with a new operation.”
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The job cuts, he said, are thus “the best way to solidify the remaining jobs while we finalize an agreement with a prospective owner.”
The Dartmouth plant now produces about 2.7 million litres of beer per year — less than two per cent of Sleeman’s total annual volume from its plants across the country.
Sleeman said Oct. 30 it’s still confident an agreement can be reached to keep the Dartmouth plant open as a brewery. — AGCanada.com Network
Related story:
Sleeman’s N.S. brewery for sale, March 6, 2013
