Anheuser‑Busch InBev announced that it will sell its 1951‑opened Newark, New Jersey, brewery to the Goodman Group and will shut down its Fairfield, California, and Merrimack, New Hampshire, plants in early 2026. The sale and closures are part of a broader strategy to streamline the company’s U.S. manufacturing network and free capital for investment in high‑margin brands.
The Newark facility, one of AB InBev’s oldest sites, will be repurposed by the Goodman Group for industrial and logistics use. The company has already invested nearly $2 billion in U.S. breweries over the past five years, and the sale of Newark is expected to reduce operating costs while preserving the site’s value for future industrial development.
The Fairfield plant, which began operations in 1976, and the Merrimack plant, opened in 1970, will close in early 2026. Roughly 475 full‑time employees across the three sites will be offered full‑time roles at other U.S. operations, with relocation stipends and skills training. Employees who decline the offers will receive severance packages. The Merrimack plant had been running on a single shift for some time, indicating underutilization, while the Fairfield site’s capacity has been underused relative to newer facilities.
AB InBev’s decision reflects a focus on operational efficiency and capital allocation. By shedding older, less efficient plants, the brewer can consolidate production at higher‑utilization sites, reduce maintenance and energy costs, and redirect capital toward premiumization and digital expansion initiatives that drive higher margins. The company’s Q3 2025 earnings showed a 3.3% increase in normalized EBITDA and an 85‑basis‑point margin expansion, underscoring the effectiveness of its cost‑control and mix‑shift strategies.
Management highlighted the importance of disciplined execution. CEO Michel Doukeris noted that the company’s “consistent execution of our strategy delivered an EBITDA increase of 3.3% with margin expansion and low‑single‑digit underlying EPS growth.” The sale and closures are part of a $300 million investment in U.S. manufacturing announced earlier in 2025, aimed at modernizing facilities and supporting the company’s growth trajectory.
Industry analysts view the move as consistent with broader consolidation trends in the beer market, where large brewers are closing legacy sites to focus on high‑margin, premium brands. The divestiture is expected to strengthen AB InBev’s competitive position by improving operational leverage and freeing resources for strategic investments in the U.S. market.
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