BOSTON – Layoffs at Boston-based Drizly will affect more than 150 workers, according to a state filing. Uber said last month it would be shutting down the alcohol delivery app it bought in 2021 for $1.1 billion.
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing in Massachusetts says 168 employees will lose their jobs between April and September.
Uber previously said it would shut down Drizly at the end of March 2024 to focus on its Uber Eats business. All positions at Drizly and some Uber positions that dealt with the Drizly business will be eliminated.
A few laid-off Drizly workers will be offered jobs with Uber to support the company’s beverage, alcohol and grocery efforts.
Drizly got its start in a Boston College dorm room in 2012 and grew to become the largest online marketplace for alcohol in North America during the pandemic, when more customers looked to have food and drinks delivered directly to their homes instead of going out to public places.
Uber said when it bought the company three years ago that Drizly “plans to innovate and expand independently in its fast-growing and innovative sector.” But the meal delivery industry’s growth has slowed down as the pandemic eased, according to a Bloomberg study.