Published: Saturday, August 16, 2008
100 Everett employees of Alaska Distributors at risk of layoffs
EVERETT -- More than 100 local employees of a beer and wine distributing operation have been warned they could be laid off in October as part of an ownership transfer.
Kent-based Alaska Distributors Co. has told more than 600 employees around Washington that they may lose their jobs as Alaska's assets are sold to two separate companies.
Stephen Loeb, president and chief executive officer of Alaska Distributors, said it's likely that most, if not all, of the employees will be retained by the new owners once the transaction is completed. But the layoff notices were required.
"We certainly hope everyone can be rehired," Loeb said.
Alaska Distributing bought Everett's Friendly Distributors, located in north Everett, in 2005. The business was started nearly 40 years ago.
But the consolidation trend in the liquor distributing industry that helped spur that deal has struck again.
Loeb said the company has letters of intent, but no signed contracts yet, to transfer its beer distributing and parts of the nonalcoholic beverage business to CoHo Distributing. That is a new Oregon-based company formed by the merger of three distributing firms there. By taking over part of the business from privately held Alaska Distributors, which dates back to 1934, CoHo becomes one of the Northwest's largest distributors.
Meanwhile, The Odom Corp. in Bellevue, which is forming a new joint venture with Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc., has agreed to purchase wine and spirits distribution rights from Alaska Distributors.
Loeb said the merger of beer giants Millers and Coors this summer helped to kick off the new wave of consolidation in the distributing industry.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
Kent-based Alaska Distributors Co. has told more than 600 employees around Washington that they may lose their jobs as Alaska's assets are sold to two separate companies.
Stephen Loeb, president and chief executive officer of Alaska Distributors, said it's likely that most, if not all, of the employees will be retained by the new owners once the transaction is completed. But the layoff notices were required.
"We certainly hope everyone can be rehired," Loeb said.
Alaska Distributing bought Everett's Friendly Distributors, located in north Everett, in 2005. The business was started nearly 40 years ago.
But the consolidation trend in the liquor distributing industry that helped spur that deal has struck again.
Loeb said the company has letters of intent, but no signed contracts yet, to transfer its beer distributing and parts of the nonalcoholic beverage business to CoHo Distributing. That is a new Oregon-based company formed by the merger of three distributing firms there. By taking over part of the business from privately held Alaska Distributors, which dates back to 1934, CoHo becomes one of the Northwest's largest distributors.
Meanwhile, The Odom Corp. in Bellevue, which is forming a new joint venture with Southern Wine & Spirits of America Inc., has agreed to purchase wine and spirits distribution rights from Alaska Distributors.
Loeb said the merger of beer giants Millers and Coors this summer helped to kick off the new wave of consolidation in the distributing industry.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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