As part of its latest cost-savings initiative, PepsiCo will cut almost 5 percent ”“ 145 jobs ”“ of its Westchester County workforce of 3,000.
At the corporate headquarters in Purchase, 80 jobs will be cut; 50 will be eliminated at the bottling center in Somers, and 15 in Valhalla, at the research and development center. PepsiCo is cutting 2 percent of its workers around the world, so Westchester is being hit hard. The layoffs began Feb. 9, as PepsiCo steps up its marketing, battling Coca-Cola for market share.
“The changes we”™ve had to make affected 145 positions in Westchester,” spokesman Jeff Dahncke said. “Those are very difficult decisions and we”™ve tried to be as supportive as possible by providing outplacement support services, severance benefits and other resources. We continue to employ close to 3,000 people in the county.”
Somers Town Supervisor Mary Beth Murphy said the town has been assured by Pepsi that they intend to keep their operations at the Somers site. She said their lease runs through 2015 with a five-year extension. “Whenever people lose jobs it”™s a concern for us,” said Murphy, “but we don”™t expect any real impact on the town.”
PepsiCo is also trying to recover some of the property taxes it has paid to municipalities in Westchester. In Somers, PepsiCo is challenging the tax assessments to the former headquarters of its bottling company going back to 2004. “We have set aside reserves for any pay back of taxes that the town would need to make as a result of any judgment or settlement,” Murphy said. “We anticipate the matter will be coming to a conclusion in the relatively near future.”
PepsiCo no longer owns its building in Somers, it leases it. The building is owned by Murray Hill Properties in Manhattan.
