MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 22 (UPI) —
U.S. retail giant Target confirmed Wednesday that it would eliminate 1,175 positions, laying off 475 workers and allowing 700 other jobs to go unfilled.
"We believe these decisions, while difficult, are the right actions as we continue to focus on transforming our business," the company said in a statement.
"We will continue to invest in key business areas to strengthen our ability to compete and thrive well into the future," the statement said.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported the layoffs involved 475 jobs at the company’s headquarters in Minneapolis.
One of the laid off workers, who was already let go, said the finance department where she worked was cut in half from 12 to six workers and that the remaining six workers were expected to be laid off in February.
The work, she said, would be farmed outsourced to India, she said, who asked that her name be withheld as she feared her severance package could be in jeopardy if her name was made public.
Company spokeswoman Molly Snyder said the layoffs were not connected to the massive data breach that resulted in compromised data of 110 million customers that took place at the height of the recently concluded holiday shopping season.
Target has a total workforce of 360,000 employees with 14,000 of those working in administrative work in Minnesota.
Out of those corporate office employees, 11,000 work at the company’s main administrative campus at the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis.