AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT PETLAND DISCOUNT

Sometimes lightning strikes and the aftermath is unavoidable. It is with some sadness that the Brentwood, New York-based Petland Discounts, retailer of pets and pet supplies, announced the passing of its founder Neil Padron who passed away from badder cancer. The company has announced that it will be closing all of its stores and laying off all of its employees.

According to the company’s WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) filings, approximately 367 employees will be laid off from the stores and distribution warehouses in New York, two stores and 7 workers in Connecticut, and ten stores and 30 employees in New Jersey.

The decision was made for financial reasons and there is no indication of what will become of the company’s online business or even if the company will terminate all business activities. The company’s website has posted “Our Website is currently under construction” and the store location button still provides location information of existing stores. All other pages return an internet code of 404 – page not found.

The founder’s daughter Amy Eisenberg noted that the business was a sole proprietorship and than the family is trying to figure things out following the devastating loss of Neil.

Employees are said to be hoping that since Petland Discounts was a going business, a rescue form another retailer remains possible.

There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT BARCLAYCARD (05/30/24)

MAY 30, 2024 — CALL CENTER CLOSURE

Barclays has announced that it plans to permanently close down its call center in Over-the-Rhine facility in Cincinnati, Ohio by September 13, 2024.

The closure will impact 252 employees and commence on July 20, 2024.

FEBRUARY 6, 2019 — MORE PAIN EXPECTED AT BARCLAY’S AS ACTIVIST INVESTOR APPROACHED BOARD

As the night follows the day, activist investors set off a chain reaction of divestments, closures, and reductions in force.

It appears that activist Edward Bramson, a partner at Sherborne Investors, is petitioning for a position on Barclay’s board of directors and is already speaking publicly about the need to shrink the bank’s footprint in opposition to current management, which favors expansion. Look for an expensive proxy fight as the current management maneuvers to keep Bramson in check — possibly buying out his position at a premium (also known as “greenmail.)

JANUARY 17, 2019 — Original Post…

Northampton, England-based Barclaycard, the iconic multinational credit card and payment services provider division of Barclay’s Bank, has announced that it will be closing its Wilton, Maine call center and laying off 227 employees.

It is believed that the decision was based on the loss of L.L. Bean’s proprietary-branded credit card business to Citibank and the increasing use of self-help internet-based systems by consumers.

A Barclay’s spokesperson noted that the closure of the Wilton, Maine call center “is aligned with Barclays' global location strategy, which is focused on developing large-scale regional hubs that enable colleagues to work collaboratively and efficiently in order to deliver superior outcomes for customers, clients and shareholders.

The impact on Franklin County will be significant as the company is one of the County’s largest employers.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE - LAYOFFS AT ASTRAZENECA

Cambridge, United Kingdom-based AstraZeneca, worldwide manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, has decided to consolidate its biologics manufacturing operations in AstraZeneca’s large-scale Frederick, Maryland pharmaceutical manufacturing facility, and will be laying off approximately 210 workers as it closes their Boulder, Colorado and Longmont, Colorado facilities. Both Colorado facilities were not licensed for commercial operations at the time of the closure announcement.

According to a company spokesperson, “Approximately 210 employees are impacted and those employees will exit the organization March, 2019, with full decommissioning of the facilities to be completed by fourth quarter 2019.

Both facilities were purchased from Amgen Corporation; the Boulder facility in 2015 for $14.6 million and the Longmont facility in 2016 for $64.5 million. AstraZeneca stressed that the closure of these facilities was unrelated to the recent organizational and personnel changes in the United Kingdom parent corporation.

There is no doubt that the pharmaceutical industry is under attack by consumers and governments over the lack of pricing transparency, rebates that look suspiciously like kick-backs and bribes, and declining reimbursement rates from insurers.

Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?