Nike has announced a new business structure, which among other changes involves trimming 2 percent of its workforce globally.
“Nike’s leadership and organizational changes will streamline and speed up strategic execution,” the retailer said in a statement Thursday, explaining plans of how Nike will also change the reporting divisions of its company.
“The changes are … expected to result in an overall reduction of approximately 2 percent of the company’s global workforce,” Nike said.
Shares of Nike’s stock were falling more than 2 percent Thursday morning following this announcement.
In addition to trimming its employee base, Nike has created what it calls a new consumer direct offense, or what’s planned to be a faster pipeline to serve shoppers with customization options.
Trevor Edwards, president of the Nike brand, will head up this division moving forward, the company said.
In the new alignment, Nike plans to focus on serving consumers in 12 cities, across 10 countries, with these locations representing over 80 percent of Nike’s projected growth through 2020, the retailer has forecast.
Nike has said it’s trying to simplify its geography structure and will change from six to four reporting segments: North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Greater China; and Asia Pacific and Latin America.
Financial results for Nike will be reported based on these four operating segments beginning in fiscal 2018, the company said.
“Through the Consumer Direct Offense, we’re getting even more aggressive in the digital marketplace, targeting key markets and delivering product faster than ever,” Nike CEO Mark Parker said in a statement.
This story is developing. Please check back for further updates.