Pepperidge Farm lays off 72 at Downers Grove facility

Pepperidge Farm laid off 72 workers at its baking facility in west suburban Downers Grove.

“We announced the decision to downsize production at our Downers Grove bakery facility resulting in 72 job losses,” said Beth Toovell, a spokesman for Connecticut-based Pepperidge Farm, which is owned by the Campbell Soup Company.

“We did begin contacting our staff on Friday,” she said. “The facility will remain open.”

The company made news of the layoffs public Monday.

The jobs are a mix of salaried and hourly employees, Toovell said. A total of 186 people are still employed at the bakery, she said.

“It was a very difficult decision based on an extensive review of the bakery business and not made lightly,” she said.

The decision to cut the jobs boiled down to “network optimization,” Toovell said, adding that Pepperidge Farm operates a total of eight bakerie around the country.

“We are providing compensation packages, access to employment specialists and holding job fairs,” she said.