San Francisco-based Gap is laying off 800 employees in California
San Francisco-based Gap is laying off approximately 800 employees in the state of California, according to a WARN notice obtained by SFGATE.
In the notice, a spokesperson for Gap employees wrote that the layoff notices started on Thursday and will continue until the beginning of May. WARN notices are required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to give affected workers 60 days notice before terminating their employment.
The affected Gap locations include the company’s corporate headquarters at 2 Folsom St., Athleta’s headquarters at 1 Harrison St. (Gap is Athleta’s parent company) and a distribution center in Fresno. Gap did not identify the number of layoffs at each location.
The 800 state layoffs make up a significant portion of Gap̵[ads1]7;s recent company-wide cuts; approximately 1,800 employees will be affected in total, according to Gap. People who work in Gap’s international purchasing department were first notified of the layoffs on April 18.
“We are taking the necessary steps to reshape Gap Inc. for the future — simplifying and optimizing our operating model, elevating creativity and driving better delivery across all dimensions of the customer experience,” interim CEO Bob Martin said in a statement provided to SFGATE on Thursday.
“I represent the collective voice of the company in expressing a sincere appreciation to each employee for the commitment, energy and heart they have given to Gap Inc.,” Martin continued in his statement. “Moving forward, we believe these efforts will unlock untapped potential across our brands, allowing us to emerge as a more customer-focused, agile and creative company.”
During the company’s most recent earnings call, Martin said the job cuts are estimated to save the company about $300 million annually.
This marks the second round of major layoffs for the retailer. Last September, Gap eliminated 500 jobs at its offices in San Francisco, New York and Asia. A few months earlier, in July 2022, then CEO Sonia Syngal abruptly resigned after only two and a half years on the job.
