Sears Canada taps IBM for outsourcing; will lay off 1,345 associates

New York -- Sears Canada Inc. has entered into an arrangement with IBM to have the supplier take over the work currently performed at three internal Sears customer contact centers. The outsourcing move will take place over the next nine months and affect 1,345 employees.



"The changes we are making to our Customer Contact Centres will allow us to streamline the support structure of our organization while enhancing the overall customer experience," said Doug Campbell, president and CEO, Sears Canada Inc. "Our partner will bring tools and technologies that will allow us to operate more effectively without the ongoing investment in and maintenance of legacy proprietary systems. This will provide our customers with the benefits of up-to-date technology and enable us to focus on our core retail business, the area where we believe we have the greatest opportunity to maximize the value of the company."



Additionally, 283 employees at Sears Canada's logistics arm will be laid off effective immediately, the company said.



Sears Canada is 51%-owned by Sears Holdings Corp. "These types of decisions are not made without considerable thought and deliberation," said Campbell. "We are planning for the future of Sears Canada and taking steps now that will allow us to continue serving customers as a viable national retailer coast to coast in stores and through our Direct channel now and in the future."