Whole Foods Is Cutting 1,500 Jobs

Austin-based Whole Foods announced Thursday that it’s cutting 1,500 jobs. It’s part of a plan to lower prices and invest more in technology.

The cuts will be made over the next eight weeks, the company said in a statement. The cuts represent about 1.6 percent of the company’s workforce.

“This is a very difficult decision, and we are committed to treating affected Team Members in a caring and respectful manner. We have offered them several options including transition pay, a generous severance, or the opportunity to apply for other jobs. In addition, we will pay these Team Members in full over the next eight weeks as they decide which option to choose,” Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, said in a news release. “We believe this is an important step to evolve Whole Foods Market in a rapidly changing marketplace.”

The company said, “many of the reductions to be managed through natural attrition and expects a significant percentage of affected Team Members will find other jobs from the nearly 2,000 open positions across the company or via new jobs created from the more than 100 new stores in development.”

Whole Foods Market added over 9,000 new jobs in the past year and created nearly 35,000 over the past five years, the statement said.

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