L.L.Bean said it plans to layoff 200 employees companywide at the end of February and close its call center in Lewiston, ME in 2021.
“We are going through the process of reorganizing certain areas of the company and, unfortunately, that includes an employee count reduction,” spokeswoman Carolyn Beem said in a statement Tuesday. “As an organization in an ever-changing retail industry, we must continually adapt and invest so we can meet the needs of our evolving customers and position L.L.Bean for long-term growth. Part of that requires us to become a more nimble, streamlined organization.”
The 200 layoffs are across all levels of the company and will leave 3,500 year-round employees in Maine, including 2,000 in Freeport and 5,200 companywide, according to the Lewiston Sun Journal. Employees will remain on the payroll through February and receive severance and outplacement services.
The closing of the Peck Building call center in Lewiston in 2012 is designed to consolidate operations. Its 130 employees have been offered similar positions at L.L.Bean’s Portland call center or the option to work from home when it closes in 2021. L.L.Bean opened its call center in Lewiston in 1988.
Last month, L.L.Bean announced plans for a $110 million corporate renovation and expansion in Freeport.
Photo courtesy L.L.Bean
