Dole Food Co. laying off 172 berry workers in Oxnard
Dole Food Co. reported that it would lay off 172 workers in Oxnard as part of the permanent closure of its Dole Berry subsidiary’s operations in the region.
The Westlake Village-based company may be looking to wind down its Tri-Counties operations entirely. It had 600 employees in the Tri-Counties as of 2016, according to Pacific Coast Business Times research.
Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission stated that the company had signed a term sheet, selling its Westlake Village headquarters as part of a 1031 exchange for the Dole Hawaii Plantation Store from its affiliate Castle & Cooke Properties.
Dole still retains a divisional office in Salinas and leases offices and facilities in Monterey and Watsonville, in addition to around 19,000 acres of farmland in the U.S. and Mexico.
The move follows a similar layoff of 30 employees in January for its Dole Packaged Foods subsidiary in Northern California, according to filings with the California Economic Development Department.
The company could not be reached for comment.
• Contact Marissa Nall at [email protected].
