Neiman Marcus to Lay Off 375 Employees

The Neiman Marcus Group Inc. (Dallas) is laying off about 375 employees this week across all divisions, including Neiman’s stores, Bergdorf Goodman and NM Direct. A company spokeswoman said the reduction is the result of an efficiency review that started several months ago.

“This is something we do every five or 10 years, and the negative impact of the economy has accelerated the importance of that effort,” said Ginger Reeder. “There could be more layoffs because we are not finished with the company-wide review.”

According to Women’s Wear Daily, about half the layoffs are on the cosmetics sales floor because of an organizational change. Brand specialists whose salaries are partly paid by beauty vendors will now be able to ring up sales, which previously were handled exclusively by Neiman’s associates on commission.

“This has been in the works for a couple of years and we have resisted it while the rest of the industry has gone that way,” Reeder said. “It’s overdue, and we believe it will improve sales productivity.”

The last time Neiman’s had layoffs was in 1990. But, like other high-end retailers, Neiman’s has been hit hard by the financial crisis, especially its impact on affluent consumers. Same-store sales fell 27.5 percent in December 2008.