North Carolina is set to lose three food-distribution facilities as Foster winds down its operations in the state. The move follows another recent grocery-distribution closure in Pennsylvania, but Foster’s planned shutdown is larger: 181 North Carolina employees are affected.
Foster operates facilities in Winston-Salem, Greenville and Colfax. The Winston-Salem site accounts for 169 affected workers, while 12 positions are tied to Greenville. The Colfax facility had no employees assigned to it when the closure notice was filed.
A major contract loss triggered the shutdown
Foster said it learned on October 14 that its largest customer would end its contract on November 11. That account represented about 70% of the company’s business. A second lost customer accounted for another 10%, leaving the distributor without enough business to keep operating…