400 Jobs Cut Home Shopping Network, QVC In West Chester

WEST CHESTER, PA —West Chester-based QVC and Home Shopping Network cut 400 employees, the parent company, Qurate Retail Group, announced Tuesday.

Qurate, headquartered at 1200 Wilson Drive, West Chester, said the layoffs are part of the retail group’s “Project Athens,” a multi-year turnaround plan to stabilize the business, according to a statement provided by Qurate.

QVC is a television network featuring home shopping.

Qurate has about 26,000 employees.

It was the second-largest company in Chester County in the third quarter of 2022, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.

“After careful consideration, we have made the very difficult decision to eliminate a number of roles within our Qurate Retail Group team,” Qurate said in the statement.

“These decisions are not easy but are necessary for realigning how we manage the business and heighten focus on critical priorities.”

The 400 employees who were laid off are receiving severance pay, access to an alumni directory to help with placement, and insurance coverage through COBRA.

QVC merged with HSN in 2017, two years after it bought mobile-shopping company Zulily.

On Wednesday, Qurate announced fourth-quarter and year-end results for 2022.

“2022 was a challenging year for the company,” David Rawlinson, said in a statement Wednesday.

The company reported revenue decreases of 13 percent to $3.5 billion in the fourth quarter and 14 percent to $12.1 billion for the full year.