106 Face Layoffs As Aurora Beer Distributor Closes Amid Pandemic

AURORA, IL — More than 100 employees at an Aurora-based beer distributor are set to lose their jobs in the coming weeks.

Windy City Distributing notified state officials last month that it intends to permanently shutter its operations beginning Oct. 16. At least 106 employees will be laid off when the beer distributor closes its doors, according to a company filing.

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Under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — better known as the WARN Act — companies must notify the state when they plan mass layoffs or closures.

In its filing with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Windy City Distributing did not provide a reason for its impending closure, which will come about seven months after bars and restaurants were first forced to limit capacities and implement other restrictions due to the coronavirus.

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Windy City Distributing operates a 175,000-square-foot facility at 1103 Butterfield Road. Prior to the pandemic, it distributed more than 2.3 million cases of beer each year to 5,500 retailers in the Chicago region. Reyes Beer Division acquired Windy City Distributing in 2012.

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A representative for Windy City Distributing did not respond to Patch’s request for comment about the company’s upcoming closure.

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