As it attempts to claw its way back to profitability, Sears Holdings Corp. has laid off about 200 corporate employees this week.
While the company said the staff reduction impacted positions across various business units and roles, 150 of the affected workers were employed at its Hoffman Estates support center in Illinois. This news follows 220 job cuts at the same facility in January.
“As we work to advance our strategic transformation, we all know that we must return the company to profitability in order to retain the confidence of our constituents,” Chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert told associates in a June 26 memo that a Sears spokesperson shared with FN. “This means continuing to look at ways to streamline our operations while staying focused on our best members, best categories and best stores. Today, we made the very difficult decision to eliminate a number of positions across various business units and roles. While these changes didn’t impact a large percentage of our workforce, your leadership team and I want you to know that these decisions were not taken lightly or easily.”
In the past year, Sears has shuttered nearly 400 unprofitable stores and announced another 72 closures during its last earnings presentation, most of which were already underway. The firm has also tested new concepts — including a mini Kmart shop-in-shop in a Brooklyn Sears outpost last month — in hopes of upending digital competition.
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“Having co-workers and friends leave the organization is never easy, but making changes like these are a necessary part of creating a stronger organization in this time of industry disruption,” Lampert told employees in the June letter. “By building meaningful relationships with our members — who look to us for our brands, our services and convenience — we can drive sales and put our company on the right path for the future.”
