Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling announced the Ventura facility will permanently close on July 10, ending a 114-year run in the city and impacting dozens of workers, according to company filings and published reports.

The closure will affect 85 employees, though the company said most workers are expected to be reassigned to other Southern California locations.

“We regularly assess our locations, products and services to ensure we can continue driving sustainable growth and innovation across our business,” a company spokesperson told SFGATE.

The shutdown marks the end of one of Ventura’s oldest industrial operations.

Coca-Cola first opened a bottling operation in Ventura in 1912, later relocating several times over the decades as the business expanded.

By the 1950s, local newspapers described Ventura’s soda bottling industry as booming, with Coca-Cola and Nehi plants capable of producing thousands of cases of soft drinks each day.

The Ventura closure appears to be part of a broader consolidation effort by Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, which has shuttered multiple California facilities in recent years.

Operations from the Ventura plant are expected to be transferred to other Southern California distribution centers.

The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN notice, with the state alerting officials to the upcoming closure and layoffs, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While many employees are expected to remain with the company through reassignment opportunities, the shutdown still represents the loss of a longstanding local landmark tied to Ventura’s industrial history.

The facility’s final day of operation is scheduled for July 10.

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    One of the latest cuts comes from Geodis, a France-based transportation and logistics company, which recently notified the state that it plans to permanently lay off 238 workers from its facility located at 1710 West Baseline Road in Rialto. According to California WARN filings, the layoffs are expected to take effect by early July.

    The announcement follows other recent reductions throughout the region’s warehousing and distribution sector. Earlier this month, CJ Logistics America, headquartered in Illinois, disclosed plans to eliminate 71 positions at its Fontana warehouse operation.

    Meanwhile, Eclipse Advantage, a Florida-based staffing and workforce support company that serves logistics and manufacturing businesses, announced it will close its Rancho Cucamonga facility by May 30.

    The Inland Empire, long considered one of the nation’s largest logistics and warehouse hubs, has seen steady growth in massive distribution centers over the last decade. However, the sector has recently faced increasing uncertainty as companies adjust operations amid changing economic conditions.

    Industry analysts point to several contributing factors behind the layoffs, including inflation, rising energy costs, tariffs, political uncertainty and the growing use of artificial intelligence and automation throughout supply chain operations.

    The slowdown is not limited to Southern California. According to FreightWaves, which covers the transportation and logistics industry, WARN notices and company announcements show similar workforce reductions occurring in states including Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

    Recent employment figures released by the California Employment Development Department also reflect the strain on the Inland Empire job market.

    The unemployment rate in Riverside County stood at 5.1% in March 2026, while San Bernardino County recorded a 5.0% rate, according to the EDD’s May 1 labor report. By comparison, California’s statewide unemployment rate was 5.2%, while the national unemployment rate was reported at 4.3% during the same period.

    Between February and March, the Inland Empire’s trade, transportation and utilities sector posted the region’s largest monthly job losses, declining by approximately 2,600 positions overall. Of those losses, transportation and warehousing accounted for roughly 2,200 jobs, according to state data.

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The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 5,000 to 219,000 for the week ending Feb. 15, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 215,000 new applications would be filed.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs.

The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 1,000 to 215,250.

Some analysts say they expect layoffs ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency to show up in the report in the coming weeks.

Despite showing some signs of weakening during the past year, the labor market remains healthy with plentiful jobs and relatively few layoffs.

Earlier this month, the Labor Department reported that U.S. employers added 143,000 jobs in January, significantly fewer than December’s 256,000 job gains. However, the unemployment rate ticked down to an even 4%, signaling a still very healthy labor market.

Late in January, the Federal Reserve left its benchmark lending rate alone after issuing three cuts late in 2024. Fed officials are closely monitoring inflation and the labor market for signs of a potentially weakening economy. They expect only two rate cuts this year, down from previous projections of four.

Last week’s consumer prices report that showed that inflation accelerated last month, creating some doubt about whether the Fed will be moved to cut rates at all this year.

The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, up from a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September. The new data shows that inflation has remained stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% target for roughly the past six months after it fell steadily for about a year and a half.

Overall, while layoffs remain low by historical standards, some high-profile companies have announced job cuts already this year.

Workday, Dow, CNN, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines and Facebook parent company Meta have all trimmed their workforces already in 2025.

Late in 2024, GM, Boeing, Cargill and Stellantis announced layoffs.

The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of Feb. 8 rose to 1.87 million, an increase of 24,000 from the previous week.

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