Last Wednesday, Target laid off approximately 150 of its employees from the company’s headquarters in Minneapolis and from its campus in Brooklyn Park. The cuts represent nearly 1% of the total 15,000 workers it houses in Minneapolis.
Speaking to the Star Tribune, Target spokesperson Amy Reilly said that the layoffs were a function of the retailer’s “future model not supporting the current size of the team.” She also said that those employees who were terminated will remain on the payroll for another forty-five days.
In September, Target had already announced its intentions to hire 20 percent fewer temporary workers for the holiday season this year, citing weak store traffic and a lack of consumer confidence, especially following a payroll tax hike.
The layoffs are relatively small considered within the context of its overall workforce of 360,000. However, the cuts still reflect the fact that a straitened economy is effecting even the largest retailers.