Glossier lays off about two dozen employees as it ramps up hiring in wholesale and retail
Glossier continues to restructure internally as it pivots the business to focus on retail and wholesale.
The DTC brand — which had a round of layoffs earlier this year that mostly impacted its tech employees – let go of more employees on Tuesday, according to a Modern Retail source who wished to remain anonymous. In total, the company laid off about two dozen people. The company confirmed the news of the layoffs, but declined to share which departments have been affected.
As part of this internal restructuring, the company is currently hiring for over a dozen new positions that focus on retail, product, supply chain and wholesale distribution, including a vice president of wholesale. The company is also preparing for more retail openings, with new locations due in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Philadelphia this fall.
The news comes at the heels of Glossier’s announcement of its new Sephora partnership, marking the brand’s first wholesale expansion. The move is in line with the slew of DTC-first brands that have branched out to sell through established retailers.
In a statement to Modern Retail, CEO Kyle Leahy said that Glossier is “reorganizing our company to align our structure, scale and talent with our refined omnichannel strategy. While these decisions are incredibly difficult, I am confident Glossier is positioned for success in its next chapter. We are immensely grateful to all of our former and current team members for their many contributions to Glossier; they are all part of Glossier’s story and will forever be part of our community.”
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Since taking over from founder Emily Weiss in June, Leahy has shared a new direction for the beauty brand that bets on wholesale and physical retail to drive sales growth going forward. The Sephora distribution, due to roll out in early 2023, is a major part of Glossier’s goal to reach more customers.
“Glossier’s first chapter was almost exclusively focused on a single channel of distribution,” Leahy said in the statement regarding the restructuring plans. “Now, we’ve grown, the marketplace has evolved, and our consumers are looking for us to meet them where they are: in-store, online, at retail partners, and around the world.”