Skip to content

HBC shares slide after mass layoffs announced

TORONTO — Hudson’s Bay Co. (TSX:HBC) shares fell more than 10 per cent in early trading, a day after the company released disappointing quarterly earnings and announced it is cutting about 2,000 jobs.

TORONTO — Hudson’s Bay Co. (TSX:HBC) shares fell more than 10 per cent in early trading, a day after the company released disappointing quarterly earnings and announced it is cutting about 2,000 jobs.

CEO Jerry Storch told analysts in a conference call Friday that the company’s transformation plan is intended to put HBC ahead and stay ahead of rapid industry trends, which include a shift from in-store to online shopping.

The company released its first-quarter results after markets closed Thursday and performed worse than analysts anticipated in a number of categories, including revenue and earnings per share.

RBC Capital Markets analysts Sabahat Khan and Irene Nattel wrote in a note that they expected HBC’s shares to be weak Friday.

The company’s shares fell 10.50 per cent or $1.01 to $8.61 in early trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.