Sara Lee Branded Apparel to reduce staff numbers by 775
Sara Lee Branded Apparel has completed an organisational review that results in the net reduction of approximately 775 positions. About 285 employees located at Sara Lee Branded Apparel's U.S. headquarters accepted a voluntary transition programme, some of whom will be replaced. Sara Lee Corporation announced earlier this year that it intends to spin off Sara Lee Branded Apparel into an independent, publicly held company in 2006, and it anticipates adding positions over the next nine months to staff new functions required after the spin-off. Before the reductions, Sara Lee Branded Apparel employed approximately 45,000 people worldwide, and today's announcement affects less than 2 per cent of the organisation's total workforce. Lee A. Chaden, chief executive officer of Sara Lee Branded Apparel, said: "The changes we announce today accomplish that goal, while also allowing us to become more cost competitive and laying the groundwork for a highly successful independent company. Implementing the associated workforce reduction is a very difficult decision, but we believe these changes are unavoidable if the company is to flourish in the future."
