RNDC issues layoff notice for Lihue site amid Hawaii sale

Kaua‘i’s RNDC distribution site on Aukele Street is facing a layoff clock tied to a larger Hawaii sale, putting drivers and warehousepersons at 3071 Aukele Street in Lihue in line for possible job losses unless they are offered positions with Reyes Beverage Group or remain needed by Republic National Distributing Company. The April 23 conditional WARN notice covers five Hawaii facilities and says employees who do not receive or accept offers from Reyes, and are not needed to continue with RNDC, are expected to be terminated on or within 14 days of June 21, 2026.

The Lihue site matters because a recent National Labor Relations Board case identified a bargaining unit there made up of full-time and regular part-time drivers and warehousepersons, with five eligible voters at the Kaua‘i facility. That makes the WARN filing more than a paper exercise for the island’s wholesale and delivery side of the beverage business, where those jobs connect directly to stocking, routing and warehouse handling.

State workforce officials have placed RNDC’s notice on the 2026 WARN notices page, and the Hawaii WARN law is designed to give workers and families time to seek another job or enter skills training. On Kaua‘i, that means the American Job Center at 4444 Rice St. #302 in Līhu‘e, phone (808) 274-3056, which offers free career counseling, job search help, skills training, HireNet Hawaii support, computers, internet access and other basic job-search tools.

The broader business picture is a wholesale reshuffle. RNDC and Reyes said on March 20 that Reyes had entered purchase agreements for RNDC operations in 11 markets, including Hawaii, and Reyes said it planned to run the newly acquired businesses separately while onboarding new team members and suppliers. Reyes also said the deal would be its largest acquisition to date, while noting the transaction still needs regulatory approvals and other closing requirements. Trade coverage said the WARN notices affect 2,774 workers across six states, a sign that Kaua‘i’s warning is part of a much larger restructuring in beverage distribution rather than an isolated local cut.