Foot Locker to Lay Off 210 Employees in Wisconsin Distribution Center Closure
Foot Locker is closing a distribution center in Wausau, Wisconsin and laying off 210 employees, according to a WARN notice confirmed by the company.
In a letter of notice to the Department of Workforce, Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg and the North Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, Foot Locker’s associate general counsel Ray Sonu said the company would be phasing out distribution operations in the Wausau facility. The closure of this facility will be permanent.
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A Foot Locker spokesperson said the closure represents the company’s “efforts to optimize our U.S. distribution network to serve our customers nationwide more efficiently and effectively.”
“We take these types of decisions seriously,” the spokesperson said, adding that the company is working with impacted employees to provide potential opportunities elsewhere in the company as well as severance packages, stay bonuses and career services support.
The first round of layoffs will impact an estimated 162 people and will occur on January 31, 2023. The second round of layoffs is expected to occur around April 30, 2023 and will impact about 48 employees.
Despite the closure, Foot Locker said the company will still maintain a presence in the area via its Customer Care Center and corporate team members.
The cuts come amid a wave of layoffs and distribution center downsizes across the retail industry. In September, Nordstrom confirmed it would lay off more than 200 employees in a fulfillment center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in October. The center previously employed over 1,100 people.
Dr. Martens carried out layoffs between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31 as it closed its distribution center in Portland, Ore. This move, which impacted 71 employees, came as a result of an investment in a new distribution center in Los Angeles, a larger space meant to support the brand’s growth in the U.S.
Gap Inc., Rent the Runway, Walmart and more companies have also announced layoffs in recent months.
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