Stitch Fix to cut salaried workforce by 15 per cent

Stitch Fix says it is reducing its workforce by around 15 per cent of salaried positions, as the online personalised styling service firm aims to return to profitability.

Decades-high inflation and the impact of the war in Ukraine have pressured Corporate America to consider laying off people or impose a freeze on hiring.

The layoff at Stitch Fix accounts for nearly 4 per cent of the roles, or around 330 positions, with most of them in its non-technology corporate and styling leadership roles, CEO Elizabeth Spaulding said.

“(The decision) was one we needed to make to position ourselves for profitable growth … There will be tough choices along the way, and this is one of those,” Spaulding wrote in a message to Stitch Fix employees.

Stitch Fix expects to save $40 million to $60 million in costs in fiscal 2023 from the job cuts and other changes while incurring charges of around $15 million to $20 million in the fourth quarter.

Shares, which closed more than 10 per cent lower on Thursday, were down nearly 6 per cent in extended trading after Stitch Fix reported revenue for the third quarter below expectations.

Stitch Fix also forecast net revenue between US$485 million and $495 million for the fourth quarter, compared with estimates of $495.1 million, according to Refinitiv data.

  • Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri, of Reuters.

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