In a significant decision impacting its workforce, a vitamin and nutritional supplement manufacturer is set to reduce nearly half of its employees at its Holbrook facility. This move raises concerns about the company’s future and the broader implications for the local economy.
Nestlé Health Science, previously recognized as Nature’s Bounty Co., will be terminating the employment of 31 out of 69 workers at its site located at 4320 Veterans Memorial Hwy, starting in July, as detailed in a state regulatory filing.
According to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing, Nestlé Health attributed these layoffs to “economic” factors.
The company’s human resources director directed inquiries from Newsday to its media relations team, which has not yet provided a response.
Nestlé Health specializes in the production of vitamins and nutritional supplements marketed under various brand names such as Boost, Ester-C, Nature’s Bounty, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan’s Pride, Solgar, and Sundown.
With over 1,900 employees in Suffolk County, Nestlé Health stands among Long Island’s largest private-sector employers, according to data from the state Power Authority, which provides the company with low-cost electricity.
In addition to its operations in Holbrook, public records indicate that Nestlé Health has facilities in Bayport, Bohemia, and Ronkonkoma.
Approximately five years ago, Nestlé Health, headquartered in Switzerland, acquired Nature’s Bounty, Solgar, Osteo Bi-Flex, Puritan’s Pride, and other brands from what was formerly known as The Bountiful Company in Ronkonkoma for nearly $6 billion. At that time, The Bountiful Company was owned by the Manhattan-based private equity firm KKR & Co. Inc.
Greg Behar, the then-CEO of Nestlé Health, stated that acquiring these brands would position Nestlé Health Science as a leader across various retail channels in the U.S., while also paving the way for significant geographic expansion.
This reduction in workforce at the Veterans Memorial Highway site appears to be the first under Nestlé Health, based on a review of 21 years of WARN filings submitted to the state Department of Labor.
The predecessor to The Bountiful Company, NBTY Inc., previously laid off 73 employees across eight facilities in 2014, including eight positions at the Veterans Memorial Highway site, as revealed in the review.
Founded in 1971 as Nature’s Bounty Inc., the company once had its shares traded publicly.
In 2010, the Washington D.C.-based private equity firm Carlyle Group took the company private, only to sell a controlling interest seven years later to KKR. During this time, KKR was navigating an initial public offering when the acquisition by Nestlé Health occurred.
James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.
