Ralph Lauren announces over 100 layoffs in e-commerce and distribution centers

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
May 15, 2017

In a peculiar restructuring move, Ralph Lauren Corp. has announced it will lay off over 100 employees at its North Carolina e-commerce and distribution facilities.

107 employees will be laid off, according to the announcement made this week. The brand said the layoffs are designed to “return the company to sustainable, profitable growth," however the job categories of those employees laid off create concern for the brand's long range business.

The employees that are facing this wave of job cuts work at one of four Ralph Lauren locations in North Carolina's Piedmont Triad region which includes Kernersville, Greensboro and High Point, NC.

Ralph Lauren has operated two distribution centers, a call center and an e-commerce service center in North Carolina for several years.

The company stated that despite the layoffs, "North Carolina remains a critically important hub for our business.”

The news comes on the heels of a larger restructuring plan where the label announced it would be making cuts and closing its prominent Fifth Avenue location in New York.

While the brand has announced it will be exploring other retail and consumer experiences including Ralph's Coffee, and that it will be placing a heavy emphasis on marketing, the layoffs come from departments that would seem to be needed to remain competitive with Amazon in the e-commerce world.

According to the mandatory notice Ralph Lauren posted on the North Carolina Department of Commerce's website, the company is letting go of analysts, fulfillment center specialists, supervisory IT roles and technicians.

The layoffs will be effective July 15, 2017.