Seagrams plant to close Lawrenceburg distillery not needed, company says BY MIKE BOYER | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
LAWRENCEBURG - Seagrams told its employees Wednesday that it would close its Lawrenceburg Seagrams-Pernod distillery in two years, displacing about 400 employees.
The aging plant was selected for closure among facilities nationally. The company said it has excess capacity.
The 158-year-old Lawrenceburg distillery was acquired by Seagrams-Pernod in 2001 following U.S. government approval of Pernod and rival Diageo PLC's joint $8.2 billion acquisition of Joseph E. Seagram's from Vivendi Universal.
It was expected at the time to play a key role in Pernod Ricard's global expansion plans.
In 2002, the company consolidated all production of Seagram's Gin at the Lawrenceburg plant, increasing the plant's annual production by 1 million to 9.5 million cases.
At the time the plant employed about 660 people.