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C&A plans to close 24 stores in France, over 300 jobs at risk

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2 weeks ago

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By

AFP

Translated by

Nicola Mira

Published



March 24, 2025

Dutch budget ready-to-wear retailer C&A is considering cutting more than 300 jobs and closing 24 branches in France in order to “improve competitiveness,” the retailer told the AFP agency on Friday.

A C&A store in France – C&A

C&A’s restructuring effort, not the first it has undertaken in France, is designed to “ensure the future of the brand within a French apparel market that is constantly deteriorating, and on which C&A France has been experiencing difficulties despite previous interventions,” said C&A.

The retailer currently operates 100 stores in France, where it has 1,500 employees, to whom the restructuring plan was disclosed on March 14.

“C&A is introducing job protection plans in the same way it introduces end-of-season-sales,” said the CGT union in a statement, underlining this would be the “eighth such plan,” and that 800 jobs had already been lost in recent years.

The 24 stores whose closure is envisaged are experiencing “structural difficulties,” and all 57 C&A corners at other French retailers are set to suffer the same fate, “since [C&A] has been unable to renew its commercial partnerships with Intermarché, Carrefour and Auchan,” said the Dutch retailer.

The same source said that, given product volumes in France are expected to decrease, C&A will also downsize its logistics hub in the Paris region.

“In total, the proposed plan… would result in a maximum of 324 redundancies,” said C&A.

In the “coming weeks,” C&A added, “a very comprehensive employee support scheme will be negotiated” with union representatives, including redeployment opportunities and related measures.

The plan “is part of C&A’s Europe-wide strategy aimed at ensuring the company will continue to do business,” by better meeting consumer needs and becoming profitable again, emphasised the 184-year-old retailer’s management.

In 1841, the brothers Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer set up a linen and cotton business called C&A Brenninkmeijer in Sneek, the Netherlands. The company began to specialise in ready-to-wear in 1890, and opened its 1,000th store in 2006.

C&A currently sells low-cost women’s, men’s and children’s apparel through 1,300 branches in 17 European countries, and employs 25,000 people.

Copyright © 2025 AFP. All rights reserved. All information displayed in this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presses.



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Puma names new president of North America

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9 minutes ago

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April 8, 2025

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Puma on Tuesday appointed Tara McRae to the role of the president of Puma North America, a role in which she will oversee the sportswear firm’s strategy in the region.

Tara McRae – Puma

With immediate effect, McRae succeeds Bob Philion, who will leave the German sportswear giant after 20 years with the company and eight years as president of Puma North America. He departs to pursue opportunities outside of Puma, the company added.

A sportswear, fashion, and wellness expert, McRae most recently serves as senior vice president brand and strategy at Puma, a role she took on in 2024. Before that, she worked at British footwear brand Clarks as the global chief marketing officer and digital officer, after serving as the first-ever chief marketing officer at TB12, Tom Brady’s health and wellness brand.

Earlier in her career, McRae worked at Puma North America between 2006 and 2016, where she held different positions in the media planning and sports marketing departments before taking on marketing responsibilities for the region.

Today, she is also a strategic advisor for Relentless Consumer Partners and a non-executive board member at Kegg. Her work has been recognized in multiple leading industry awards, most notably as a member of the 2024 Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50 list.

“With Tara, we have appointed a leader with a great understanding of our consumers, our industry and the North American market,” said Puma chief commercial officer, Matthias Bäumer.

“I strongly believe she has the experience and the strategic mindset to help us succeed in this crucial market. I want to thank Bob for the past eight years as the president of PNA, a time during which we put Puma back on the map in North America, and I wish him all the best for the future.”

The appointment comes less than one week after Puma unexpectedly laid-off its CEO Arne Freundt, replacing its chief executive with Arthur Hoeld, an alumni from its German rival, Adidas.

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European online fashion giant Zalando to cut 450 customer service jobs amid restructuring

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41 minutes ago

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April 8, 2025

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Translated by

Nazia BIBI KEENOO

Published



April 8, 2025

Zalando, one of Europe’s largest online fashion retailers, has announced plans to cut 450 customer service jobs in Berlin as part of a major overhaul of its operations. The restructuring, reported earlier by the “Berliner Morgenpost,” is set to roll out a new internal structure by the end of summer.

Zalando

Zalando currently manages customer service through three in-house teams and multiple third-party providers. According to news agency DPA, the company plans to dissolve its internal departments—which will impact around 450 employees—and launch a new centralized division. Under this structure, Zalando will create about 200 new positions and allow affected employees to apply.

The restructured team will focus on complex customer issues, particularly fraud cases linked to third-party sellers. Zalando will continue outsourcing standard inquiries—such as delivery tracking—to external partners.

“We found that the current structure of our customer service made it difficult to uphold our quality standards consistently,” Zalando’s management said in a statement. “We have already initiated discussions with employees and their representatives to reach the best possible agreement jointly.”

Zalando

This announcement comes a month after the presentation of Zalando’s annual figures, which generated sales of 10.5 billion euros in its fiscal year 2024. This represents an increase of 4.2%, while sales volume rose by 4.5% to 15.3 billion euros. This represents a slight return to growth after two sluggish years, which had already led to several hundred job cuts. The Group is counting in particular on its BtoB business to become a growth driver in the near future.

Already present in twenty-five European markets, fashion portal Zalando recently continued its rollout on the Old Continent, launching in Portugal, Greece and Bulgaria. It also secured exclusive distribution rights for Diane von Furstenberg and launched a summer campaign featuring “Sex and the City” star Sarah Jessica Parker.
 

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Levi Strauss sees Q1 surge in DTC and e-commerce

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1 hour ago

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April 8, 2025

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Levi Strauss & Co. reported on Tuesday stronger-than-expected results for the first quarter ended March 2, on the back of strong direct-to-consumer and e-commerce growth. 

Levi Strauss sees Q1 surge in DTC and e-commerce. – Levi Strauss

The denim giant said net revenues for the quarter reached $1.5 billion, up 3% on a reported basis compared to Q1 2024. Notably, the Levi’s brand saw an 8% organic growth globally. 

By region, in the Americas, net revenues rose 6% on a reported basis, with U.S. sales climbing 8%. While Europe experienced a 5% decline on a reported basis, it posted 3% organic growth. Asia delivered a 7% reported gain and Beyond Yoga revenues also grew 10%.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) revenues increased 9% on a reported basis, with gains seen across all regions — up 8% in the U.S., 11% in Europe, and 14% in Asia. E-commerce revenues were particularly strong, rising 13%. DTC channels accounted for 52% of total net revenues in Q1. Meanwhile, wholesale net revenues dipped 3% reported but grew 5% on an organic basis.

Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations was $0.35 compared to diluted loss per share from continuing operations of $0.03 in Q1 2024.

“We exceeded revenue and profitability expectations in Q1 marking a strong start to the year, another proof point that our transformation strategy is working,” said Michelle Gass, president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co. 

“The Levi’s brand is stronger than ever, and we will continue to fuel this momentum through a robust product pipeline and by keeping the brand firmly at the center of culture across the globe. While we recognize that we are operating in an uncertain environment, our global footprint, strong margin structure, and agile supply chain position us to navigate the balance of the year and beyond.”

Looking ahead, the company continues to expect organic net revenue growth of 3.5% to 4.5%, with reported net revenue expected to decline by 1% to 2% in 2025. 

Adjusted diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.20 to $1.25, inclusive of an approximate $0.20 headwind from foreign exchange and a higher tax rate.

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