The U.S.-based operator of fashion retailer Forever 21 plans to lay off 358 people as it closes its Fashion District headquarters in downtown Los Angeles, the company said in a regulatory filing with the state’s Employment Development Department.
Forever 21 Chief Financial Officer Bradley Sell wrote in a Feb. 18 letter filed with EDD that workers at the company’s headquarters would be laid off permanently beginning April 21 and continuing through May 5, according to a federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. WARNs are required when an employer lays off more than 50 employees or a significant percentage of its staff.
Sell didn’t provide details on how many workers would remain at the Forever 21 headquarters. He wrote in the EDD letter that employees remaining with the company will be required to work remotely following the closure of the headquarters office. “This information is based on the best information currently available to us, but may change due to subsequent events beyond our control,” said Sell, who has been CFO of the fashion retailer since March 2019 and is among the layoffs planned in April.
A Forever 21 spokesman wasn’t immediately available to comment on the layoffs or reports that the retail operator was preparing to close stores in anticipation of a potential bankruptcy. The layoffs include managers, designers, supply chain directors and managers of product development and store operations. They also include Katrina Glusac , chief mer.
