A total of 57 employees at Ingram Content Group’s LaVergne location were laid off on Friday from across the organization. Spokesperson Keel Hunt says “this is unfortunate, but in the dynamic arena of content delivery it’s important for Ingram to be right-sized and as efficient as possible.”
He tells us the reductions were “a result of the reorganization, announced last summer,” that merged various business units including Ingram Book, Ingram Digital, Lightning Source and Ingram Publisher Services into the overall Ingram Content Group. He adds, “when we announced the reorganization, we of course began a process to identify ways to eliminate redundancies in our overall management structure and operations to increase efficiency and reduce costs.” The responsibilities of those who are leaving have been reassigned to other employees, with further details to come.
Earlier last week, Barnes & Noble.com also laid off a number of people, including some well-known to publishers such as Mike Ferrari, at one point director of merchandising for the stores and then director of digital content as the unit began building its ebook business. Spokesperson Mary Ellen Keating tells us, however, that the company is hiring more than it is firing. “We did have some organizational changes that were part of a realignment at bn.com. We did eliminate a handful of jobs, while adding more in other areas…..in fact the organization is growing. The action [last] week was really more about making sure we have the right skills and talent in place for an ambitious year ahead.”