Flowers Foods Reorganizes, Cuts 250 Jobs

Flowers Foods, producer of Wonder Bread, Tastykake and other baked goods, is cutting 250 jobs and reorganizing its corporate structure, the company said in an announcement dated July 20.

The job cuts, which amount to about 2.5% of the company’s workforce, are across numerous departments and functions. A statement from Flowers described the layoffs as necessary “to better balance the resources required to support the company's business.”

"While we regret losing these team members, this move directly supports our strategic priorities to reduce the complexity of our business, improve our margins, and ensure we have the right resources in place to sustain long-term growth,” CEO Ryals McMullian said in a statement.

Included in the reorganization are these moves:

• The Fresh Packaged Bread business unit and Specialty/Snacking business unit will be combined into a single function responsible for all brands. It will be headed by Mark Courtney, previously head of Fresh Packaged Bread.
• Innovation will be a standalone function, headed by Debo Mukherjee, chief marketing officer.
• David Roach, most recently president of the Snacking/Specialty BU, will serve in the newly created position of president of Cake Operations.
• Foodservice business will devolve from the Snacking/Specialty business unit to the sales function, which will continue to be led by Keith Wheeler, chief sales officer.