Nike To Lay Off Approximately 1,750 Globally

mike lewis

• May 15 2009
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Nike announced yesterday that it will lay off approximately five percent of its 35,000 global workforce.  The cuts are expected to affect approximately 500 people at the company’s Beaverton, Oregon headquarters.

The news was the culmination of a global workforce review Nike announced in February “to enhance its consumer focus, speed decision making and to create a stronger organizational structure for the future.”

According to the release:

“Our new structure sharpens our consumer focus globally to drive continued growth while positioning NIKE, Inc. competitively in today’s marketplace,” said Mark Parker President and CEO, NIKE, Inc. “We remain a growth company and we know these changes have created a stronger organization that will enable us to invest in our most significant opportunities. However, the decision to reduce our workforce has been a difficult and challenging one as it affects our colleagues, teammates and friends.”

Departing employees will receive a robust and enhanced severance to help support their transition from the company. Over the next several weeks, the company expects to complete the majority of employee transitions.