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Patagonia cuts 41 jobs in second round of layoffs this year

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Patagonia cuts 41 jobs in second round of layoffs this year

The Ventura-based outdoor apparel company Patagonia is laying off 41 people, its second round of job cuts this year.

Patagonia announced the new round of layoffs on Monday, in a LinkedIn post by CEO Ryan Gellert. He wrote that the layoffs are part of “some major internal changes” that involve creating new positions and eliminating others.

“Today, we are getting more right than wrong, but we aren’t meeting the high standards we set for ourselves,” Gellert wrote. “And while we remain profitable, we are vulnerable to the same economic headwinds many companies in our industry are facing.”

Most of the new positions are being filled by existing Patagonia employees, Gellert wrote.

The jobs that are being eliminated come from all over the company, with the exception of the warehouse, retail and customer service departments, company spokesperson Corley Kenna said in an email interview. Some are in Ventura, some are remote jobs and some are based in Patagonia’s facilities in Reno, she said.

Patagonia has about 3,700 employees worldwide, including 800 in its Ventura headquarters.

More: Here’s what to know about Ventura-based outdoor apparel company Patagonia

The company was founded in Ventura in 1973 by Yvon Chouinard, a legendary rock climber, entrepreneur, philanthropist and environmentalist. In 2022, Chouinard gave the company away, transferring ownership to a climate-focused nonprofit.

The current restructuring means Patagonia will reorient its teams around three functions, Kenna said, “product, storytelling and impact.”

The employees who are being laid off have already been notified through “individual conversations,” Gellert wrote. They will receive at least 22 weeks of severance pay — more for those with a long tenure at Patagonia — along with “career transition assistance” and help with paying their health insurance for the next year.

The new round of layoffs means Patagonia has reduced its employee count by about 3% this year.

In June, the company told 90 of its remote customer service workers they would lose their jobs unless they relocated to one of seven metropolitan areas to live and work near a Patagonia “hub.”

More than 80 of the 90 customer service workers did not relocate and were laid off, Kenna said.

Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.

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