L.L. Bean is cutting 200 jobs and closing a call center
FREEPORT, Maine (AP) — L.L. Bean is eliminating 200 jobs across the company and closing its call center in Maine’s second-largest city as part of a reorganization.
The outdoor retailer’s job cuts will occur at all levels, company spokeswoman Carolyn Beem said Wednesday. All the 130 call center agents in Lewiston will be offered the opportunity to move to a call center in Portland or work from home, she said.
“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,” she said.
The company has dealt with flat sales and a difficult era of belt-tightening that included a previous reduction in workforce, a tightening of its generous return policy, and a paring of product lines to refocus on the company’s outdoors roots.
But the company last year reported a small increase in sales. The company declined to comment on current revenue projections for its fiscal year.
After the cuts, L.L. Bean will employ 3,500 year-round employees in Maine and 5,200 companywide, Beem said.
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