Why This Matters to Distributors: Essendant’s restructuring has expanded to California, bringing confirmed job cuts to 1,278 across six states as the wholesaler closes facilities and seeks alternatives to a potential liquidation.
Essendant is eliminating another 103 jobs in California, bringing confirmed workforce reductions across six states to 1,278 as the national wholesaler closes facilities and considers potential sales and new capital to avoid liquidation.
The latest California WARN records cover 99 employees at Essendant’s Sacramento distribution center and four employees at its Perris operation. The cuts are scheduled to take effect Oct. 3.
Distribution Strategy Group continues to reach out to Essendant for comment on the layoffs, facility closures and the company’s plans but has yet to receive a response.
The California cuts expand a restructuring that already covers 1,175 employees in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona. The actions include Essendant’s corporate offices and several distribution operations.
The latest filings provide further evidence of the scale of the restructuring less than a year after Essendant announced plans to reshape its business around janitorial and sanitation products, food service and technology and reduce its exposure to traditional office supplies.
Essendant plans to eliminate 99 jobs at its distribution center at 7021 Roseville Road in Sacramento and four positions at 4555 Redlands Ave. in Perris, according to California WARN data.
Both actions are scheduled to take effect Oct. 3.
The four Perris positions are separate from a much larger workforce reduction Essendant announced there last year. California Employment Development Department records show Essendant filed a WARN notice in September 2025 covering 146 employees at the Perris facility, with those layoffs effective Dec. 31, 2025.
Those 146 positions are not included in the 1,278 jobs covered by the current multistate restructuring.
Illinois has the largest number of affected employees in the current round of reductions.
State WARN records show Essendant plans to eliminate 510 jobs at its offices at 200 Tri-State International in Lincolnshire and 134 jobs at its Carol Stream operation, for a combined 644 positions. The first layoffs are scheduled for Oct. 3.
The Illinois actions alone account for slightly more than half of the 1,278 positions identified in the six states.
Outside Illinois and California, WARN records show Essendant-related actions affecting 192 employees in Georgia, 150 in Pennsylvania, 136 in Texas and 53 in Arizona.
In Georgia, Essendant is permanently closing its operation at 125 Horizon Drive in Suwanee, affecting 192 employees. The closure is scheduled for Oct. 3.
In Pennsylvania, Essendant Management Services LLC plans to close its facility at 125 Green Tree Road in Phoenixville, affecting 150 employees. That closure also is scheduled for Oct. 3.
The Texas action affects 136 employees in Irving, while an Arizona WARN notice covers 53 employees at Essendant’s Phoenix operation.
Combined with the 644 Illinois positions and 103 California positions, the actions bring the confirmed total to 1,278 jobs across six states.
The WARN notices are significant beyond the number of jobs being eliminated.
In notices reviewed by Distribution Strategy Group, Essendant said it has been exploring strategic alternatives, including potential sale transactions, while seeking additional capital to avoid liquidation.
The language indicates that the company’s restructuring has moved beyond a conventional distribution network consolidation.
Essendant has not announced a buyer, new financing, bankruptcy filing or a decision to liquidate.
The company’s future therefore remains uncertain as the Oct. 3 effective date for many of the layoffs approaches.
The latest cuts come less than a year after Essendant began a major overhaul of its product strategy and distribution network.
The company moved away from much of its traditional office-products business and said it would concentrate on categories including janitorial and sanitation supplies, foodservice, and technology. It also outlined plans for a streamlined distribution network intended to support that strategy.
The WARN actions now reach several markets that were part of that network.
The scale and timing of the cuts suggest Essendant is moving rapidly to reduce operations. Many of the announced layoffs and closures are scheduled for Oct. 3, including actions in Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas.
Essendant has not publicly detailed what its distribution network will look like after the restructuring or which operations will remain open.
For customers, suppliers and independent dealers, the growing number of WARN filings leaves a larger question unresolved: whether Essendant will emerge as a smaller national distributor, find a buyer or source of new capital, or cease operations.
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