WALKER — Supercenter retailer Meijer Inc. continues to restructure its information technology services department.
As MiBiz exclusively reported in August, the Walker-based retailer began laying off some of its ITS staff and outsourcing employees to other technology firms. The company continues on that path, according to a source familiar with the changes.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source tells MiBiz that the retailer “rebadged” 113 employees, who will continue working out of Meijer’s corporate campus, but will now be employed by technology giant IBM Corp. Another 65 employees positions were terminated this week, the source said.
Those changes are on top of the 46 layoffs and the transfer of 25 employees now working for French I.T. firm CapGemini, as MiBiz reported in August.
All told, the source said that Meijer’s internal ITS department will be down to about 300 employees by the end of the year.
Meijer’s senior spokesperson, Frank Guglielmi, declined to confirm the specific numbers in this report.
In a statement from Chief Information Officer Terry Ledbetter, Meijer said the partnership with IBM gives it more strength in cloud computing, which it hopes will make for better customer experiences.
“We are making changes to our ITS structure that will enable us to provide even more solutions in both the digital and physical space for Meijer customers,” Ledbetter said in a statement. “Other changes include realignment of some teams and the elimination of some current roles. We are working closely with those affected by this change to help them through this process.”
