PepsiCo to lay off hundreds of corporate workers – WSJ

PepsiCo is cutting hundreds of corporate roles in North America, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

The layoffs will affect staff at the headquarters of PepsiCo’s North American beverages division and North American snacks and packaged foods business, according to the Journal, which cites people familiar with the matter and documents viewed first-hand.

PepsiCo reportedly told employees in a memo that the layoffs were intended to “simplify the organisation so we can operate more efficiently”.

According to the Journal’s sources, the beverage unit is in line for heavier cuts because the snacks division has already trimmed its workforce with a voluntary retirement programme, and overall hundreds of jobs are set to be slashed. 

Demand for many packaged foods and beverages has been resilient even as household budgets are increasingly squeezed and manufacturers implement price hikes to counter rising raw material, transport and labour costs.  

In PepsiCo’s third-quarter results, overall volumes declined 1% on an organic basis, while the company’s North America beverage business posted a 1% increase. 

The snacks and beverage giant raised its expectations for full-year organic revenue growth from 10% to 12%, after prices jumped 17% on average in Q3, helping drive a 16% rise in sales on a like-for-like basis.

PepsiCo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its layoff plans.