Victoria’s Secret continues to struggle, lays off call center employees
- Victoria’s Secret saw a net loss of $71 million for 2023's third quarter
- A call center operation in Kettering, Ohio is set to undergo a mass layoff
- The business faces challenges such as slowing sales
HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 08: A view of the Victoria’s Secret store during Victoria’s Secret debuts new Fall Collection with Angel Martha Hunt on August 08, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images for Victoria’s Secret)
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(NewsNation) — Victoria’s Secret posted a loss last quarter, and now is laying off all employees at a long-standing call center.
A call center operation in Kettering, Ohio is set to undergo a mass layoff, resulting in approximately 120 job losses, according to a notification sent by Victoria’s Secret Direct Fulfillment LLC to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Dayton Daily News reported.
Victoria’s Secret, a leading lingerie retailer for decades, reported a net loss of $71 million for the third quarter of 2023, in contrast to a net income of $24 million for the third quarter of 2022.
In a letter, Melinda McAfee, the company’s chief human resource officer, revealed that the mass layoff at the facility located at 5959 Bigger Road. McAfee said that the layoff is permanent, and the affected employees’ separations will unfold over the period starting Mar. 16 and concluding on or around Aug. 3.
The business faced challenges such as slowing sales and stopped distributing catalogs in 2016 after its acquisition by L Brands in the early 1980s.
L Brands’ sold its stake in the Victoria’s Secret brand for approximately $525 million in early 2020. The Columbus-based company retained a 45% stake at the time. Subsequently, L Brands divided into two separate entities by the summer of 2021 — Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works.
For over 25 years, L Brands had operated a call center in Kettering supporting Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. In February 2020, the 5959 Bigger Road call center employed about 900 people.
However, by late last year, representatives of the company remained silent regarding the status of the operation.
A spokeswoman for the city of Kettering disclosed on Wednesday that the company had conveyed in 2022 that workers had been operating remotely since the onset of the pandemic.