Another outdoor industry brand announces layoffs. Vermont-based Orvis, founded in 1856, announced plans to lay off 112 employees, close some of its retail stores and discontinue its iconic catalog “to enable a smaller and more agile business.” Orvis claims to be the oldest mail-order retailer in the U.S. having produced catalogs since the late 1800s.
“Orvis is in a period of business evolution that requires us to think differently. Over the course of our nearly 170-year history, the company has experienced similar cycles, but today’s challenges are new, and they require us to be bold in order to continue sharing stories, experiences and products that inspire our customers well into the future,” Orvis President Simon Perkins wrote in a statement Friday, October 4 obtained by VTDigger..
In the U.S., Orvis operates 70 retail stores and 10 outlets. In the UK, the company operates 18 retail stores and one outlet. The company did not disclose what store would be affected by the closures. The 112 employees affected by the layoffs represent 8 percent of Orvis’ workforce
The layoffs come as Orvis announced in January 2024 that it was moving its headquarters from Sunderland, VT, to smaller offices in Manchester, VT, to support “an evolution of a hybrid work environment.” Orvis already had offices and an outlet store in Manchester.
In his statement regarding the impacted employees, Perkins reportedly said they “will receive two months of full pay and benefits, additional severance pay, and assistance with health insurance and job transition services.
“The people we are saying goodbye to have made indelible impacts on the brand, their colleagues and the lives of our customers. We are investing the time, care and resources needed to honor and support them throughout this process.”
Image credit Orvis
