Major lay-offs at PRH US's Kirkwood warehouse

Two-hundred and eighty-six workers are to go from Penguin Random House US' Kirkwood warehouse and distribution facility, starting at the end of January.

The publisher has confirmed filing a notice with the New York Department of Labor to this effect. The reason for the closure given in the notice was “consolidation of operations."

The lay-offs will take place from the end of January until the end of September 2015, with the facility due to close for good thereafter.

Penguin Random House announced in February this year that it would close warehouses in Kirkwood, New York, and Pittston, Pennsylvania, with operations moving to Random House warehouses in Westminster, Maryland, and Crawfordsville, Indiana. In a memo from c.e.o. Markus Dohle and c.o.o. Madeline McIntosh, the company said the goal of the consolidation was to "increase our competitive advantage in the marketplace, to grow the profitability of our titles for our retailers, and to bring better service to our authors than ever before".

Penguin Random House in the UK confirmed at the time that it would not be taking similar steps with its own distribution businesses.