KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City, Missouri-based Hallmark Cards on Monday announced plans to lay off approximately 400 people globally.
In a statement, the company said it is taking voluntary and involuntary actions that would impact those employees. Locally, 325 employees will be affected. The company plans to inform employees in the coming days and will offer severance and transition assistance.
“These changes, while not easy, will enable us to invest in new growth strategies that will ultimately help us realize our future vision,” Hallmark Cards President and CEO Mike Perry said Monday in a news release.
Cuts are expected in the company’s greeting card and retail businesses, as well as in corporate support functions.
In October, the company announced it would close its Home and Gifts division, impacting 60 employees.
At the time, the company said the move was part of an effort to streamline the business and to enable the company to maintain a “sharp focus on new and innovative ways” to serve consumers.
Hallmark, which has its headquarters at Kansas City’s Crown Center, has a portfolio of five businesses and employs around 30,000 people worldwide, according to its website.
