BG Houston Office to Close; Lay Off 154 Workers

As a result of Royal Dutch Shell plc’s acquisition of BG Group, plc, the two companies have begun an integration process that includes closing the BG Houston office.

According to a letter sent to the Texas Workforce Commission, BG, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell February 15, 2016, will permanently close its Houston office and lay off 154 employees. The majority of employees, 118, will be laid off August 31 and the remaining 36 employees will be let go September 30.

Employees do not have bumping rights and BG will offer severance benefits and outplacement services to laid-off employees.

In January, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said the acquisition would result in a total workforce reduction of 10,000 workers across both companies. Shell has also stated the company will close BG’s head office located near London by the end of the year, Reuters reported. In addition, Shell will close BG’s Aberdeen office and its Brabazon House office in Manchester by the end of 2017.