REI restructures staff with undisclosed number of layoffs
The nation’s largest outdoor retailer, Recreational Equipment Inc., laid off an undisclosed number of employees this month, officials confirmed with SNEWS. Sources say the reduction involved some long-time employees.
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The nation’s largest outdoor retailer, Recreational Equipment Inc., laid off an undisclosed number of employees this month, officials confirmed with SNEWS.
The layoffs were conducted across the board — from the company’s headquarters in Kent, Wash. to its 127 stores nationwide — primarily affecting support areas that are being restructured toward “more customer-facing jobs,” said REI Director of Corporate Communications Libby Catalinich.
“While a limited number of positions were eliminated, we expect that by the end of the year there will be a net increase in jobs at our headquarters,” Catalinich said. “Former employees can apply for the newly-created roles.”
Catalinich declined to offer details on the eliminated and future positions, but said customers should benefit from a more seamless retail experience across all sales channels.
Those new job openings and hires could serve as an indicator of the direction REI is heading. As of Tuesday, REI listed 24 open positions at its headquarters, more than half of which involved digital marketing, e-commerce or information technology. The company also continues to open stores with numerous positions available nationwide.
Catalinich said the layoffs were not financially driven. REI recently reported its 2012 revenue up 7.4 percent to more than $1.9 billion, although its net profit did slip slightly from $30.4 million in 2011 to $28.9 million in 2012.
While REI isn’t offering specifics on the restructuring, several sources close to the company and its employees told SNEWS the changes are significant, affecting many long-time employees, district visual merchandisers and supervisors.
“It’s not kids they’re laying off — these are people who put their lives into the company,” one source said. “They have been with the company a long time.”
2013 is bound to be a year of change at REI as it also moves toward a change at the top. In early February, REI CEO Sally Jewell was nominated for U.S. Secretary of the Interior. As she moves toward confirmation, REI recently named its chief operating officer Brian Unmacht interim CEO.
