Footwear giant Nike has announced a huge round of layoffs with more than 1,400 jobs cut worldwide.
The US fashion and fitness brand’s Chief Operating Officer Venkatesh Alagirisamy has announced a large-scale overhaul of the entire global business, including moving manufacturing hubs and ‘modernising’ its processes.
While the exact number of job cuts for the UK has not yet been made clear, the layoffs are said to impact North America, Europe and Asia.
Mr Alagirisamy said the plan was part of the firm’s ‘Win Now’ strategy. In a lengthy statement, he told staff: “Collectively, these changes will result in a reduction of approximately 1,400 roles in Global Operations, with the majority in Technology. These reductions are very hard for the teammates directly affected and for the teams around them, too.”
The job cuts follow 775 job losses already announced in January, which mostly affected American distribution centres as Nike pushed for greater automation.
The changes will also affect Converse, the skater footwear brand Nike owns, with some operations relocated.
Mr Alagirisamy added: “Across the company, we have been taking deliberate steps to strengthen our foundation, sharpen how we compete, and build a model designed to deliver long-term profitable growth. Global Operations is critical to that effort.”
He added: “This is not a new direction. It is the next phase of the work already underway.
“At its core, these shifts are about building a Global Operations organization that is more focused, more integrated with the business, and better built for the pace of sport.
In the coming weeks, several significant changes will take effect across Global Operations. These actions will result in changes to some team structures, work locations, and headcount.
“…To the broader team, moments like this require professionalism, empathy, and a shared commitment to one another. These changes are meant to make the company less complex and more responsive. As we look ahead, that means simplifying parts of how we operate, using more advanced automation where it helps us work better, and building an even stronger end-to-end foundation for future growth. I expect these efforts to continue beyond our Win Now action plan.”
