REI lays off about 275 retail employees as part of restructuring plan
Outdoor retailer REI is laying off about 275 retail employees, roughly 2% of its in-store workforce. Employees learned about the layoffs Thursday in an email shared with KUOW.
Despite the layoffs, the Seattle-based retailer is hiring about 1,300 workers ahead of the holiday shopping season.
In January, REI said it would be restructuring this year to get back to profitability. At the time, the company laid off 167 corporate employees.
A few months later, REI announced plans to close a store in Portland, citing safety concerns.
REI has worked hard to brand itself as a less-corporate corporation. The co-op closes its doors on Black Friday and encourages customers to hashtag-opt-outside. But layoffs and an alleged anti-union campaign are challenging that reputation.
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Monica Nickelsburg
Labor & Economy Reporter
Monica Nickelsburg is an economy reporter covering labor issues, the changing nature of work, the rise and fall of industries, technology trends, and workplace equity. She has extensive experience covering Amazon, Microsoft, and other major players re-shaping the Seattle region.
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