EVERETT — Zumiez Inc. plans to move e-commerce operations from Everett to Kansas in May, the Everett-based clothing retailer announced Thursday.
“As a company, we continually evaluate opportunities to increase the speed of delivering products to our customers while also improving our costs,” Marc Stolzman, Zumiez chief financial officer, said in a statement. “The move to Kansas means that, across the continental U.S., our customers should receive their Zumiez order in three days or less.”
The company’s e-commerce operation includes 35 Zumiez employees and 35 workers from an outside agency. The 35 Everett-based employees were given a 60-day notice on Thursday and offered the opportunity to relocate to Edwardsville, Kan., or severance packages based on years of service and position.
“Decisions like this need to be evaluated carefully, especially when they impact our valued team members,” Stolzman said.
The company has 208 employees in Everett, including the e-commerce workers, Margo Spellman, a Zumiez spokeswoman, confirmed in an email Friday.
Zumiez is a speciality retailer of action sports-related apparel, footwear and accessories for young men and women. It operates 444 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
In a regulatory filing, Zumiez said the company will incur up to $1 million in expenses for the move to Kansas.
In 2010, the retailer also moved warehouse and distribution operations out of Everett to California, to be closer to vendors. About 170 people lost their jobs in Everett, cutting Zumiez’s employment here nearly in half.
Last March, Zumiez announced plans to relocate its headquarters from 6300 Merrill Creek Parkway in Everett to a new spot in Lynnwood, near I-5 and I-405. Company officials emphasized then the importance of being closer to Seattle.
The company anticipates completing the move to Lynnwood in the second quarter of 2012, according to a regulatory filing.
Zumiez estimates it will take a charge of $400,000, or 1 cent per diluted share, in the first quarter for expenses associated with the move to Lynnwood. It also will take a charge of about $1.8 million, or 3 cents per diluted share, in the second quarter.
The retailer reported earlier this month that net sales for January were up 19.2 percent to $31.8 million, compared to January 2011 sales. The company’s comparable store sales increased 10.8 percent in January compared to the same month the previous year.
Zumiez’ shares were down about 46 cents in Friday-morning trading at $29.40.
Herald writer Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
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