Whole Foods Market Inc. is cutting more jobs in Austin, this time in its southwest regional division.
The Austin-based organic and natural foods grocer confirmed Friday that it is eliminating 11 positions in the regional office located at its corporate headquarters on Lamar Boulevard. The regional office oversees the company's 19 stores in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The new announcement brings the total number of Austin jobs Whole Foods (Nasdaq: WFMI) cut this week to 60. On Wednesday the company said it was eliminating 49 of the 650 people that report to its corporate headquarters.
"This decision is a result of the current economic climate and the fact that we are slowing the growth of our new store openings and reducing corporate expenses," the company said in a written statement.
Whole Foods did not say exactly which positions were cut, only that they "range in responsibility."
It's unclear at this point whether Whole Foods will make cuts in any of its other 10 regional offices around the country. The company did not immediately respond to questions concerning those operations.
Whole Foods reported weak fiscal third-quarter earnings last week. The company's profit declined 30 percent compared with the same quarter in 2007. Executives blamed expenses related to Whole Foods' purchase of Wild Oats Markets and the weaker economy for the disappointing results, and said the company would begin enacting cost-cutting measures. Whole Foods is curbing the number of new stores it will open next year to 15.
Whole Foods has about 270 stores in North America and in the United Kingdom. The company employs about 54,000 people.
"Each and every team member is a valued contributor in our company and we are saddened by this decision mandated by challenging economic times," the company's statement said. "We appreciate those team members we will say goodbye to, and we thank them for being part of our family here at the regional office and for their contribution to Whole Foods Market."
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