Target Cuts 140 More Jobs at Minneapolis Headquarters

MINNEAPOLIS (Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS) —

Target Corp. laid off 140 more people at its Minneapolis headquarters Wednesday, in a move that was more precisely influenced by the needs of its new structure than larger reductions had been earlier this year.

Most, but not all, of the people who were laid off Wednesday were in jobs related to business performance optimization, a group that was one of seven formed in recent months in Target’s restructuring of its Twin Cities corporate offices.

Target notified the affected employees Wednesday, and also said that 50 job openings tied to the group would not be filled. The company said that the employees received severance and benefit packages that were comparable to those offered in other layoff actions this year.

The job-cutting began in February, when the retailer laid off 550 employees related to the company’s closure of its 133 Canadian stores.

In early March, executives told investment analysts that they planned to eliminate “several thousand” corporate positions over the next two years. The biggest round came in mid-March, when 1,700 employees were laid off in one day from its Twin Cities headquarters, where about 11,000 people work.

Following that move, about 100 administrative assistants were laid off last month. And earlier this month, Target also laid off about 180 employees at its tech operations in India, where about 2,600 people now work.

While profitable, Target has engaged in the job cuts in an effort to streamline decision-making and overall operations. A study and review that led to the restructuring was initiated before new CEO Brian Cornell arrived last August, though most of the major actions have been taken this year.

The giant retailer has reshaped its traditional corporate functions, such as purchasing and marketing, into seven groups that cross traditional business functions and that it calls “centers of excellence.”

In addition to business performance optimization, the centers include data analytics and customer experience.

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