In April, HanesBrands plans to lay off 159 workers from one of its distribution centers in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, according to a WARN Act notice filed with the N.C. Commerce Department on Feb. 5.

The distribution center, located at 2655 Annapolis Drive in Winston-Salem, opened in 1996, then closed in 2010, and reopened in 2011. In a statement shared with North Carolina news station WXII, HanesBrands said: “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to suspend operations at our Annapolis Distribution Center in Winston-Salem and repurpose the facility as we focus on improving efficiencies, streamlining our operations, and reducing costs. Unfortunately, this will impact our associates, who we thank for their dedication to HanesBrands. We are committed to working with our associates to ensure a smooth transition, which includes exploring employment opportunities.”

Employee Support

The latest layoffs take effect April 5, and those impacted by this decision have already been notified. According to Business North Carolina, the company will lean on state resources — the Commerce Department’s Rapid Response Team, local NC Workforce Development, and the NCWorks Training Center — to support those affected by the layoff. In a letter written to government officials, Hanes says its human resources team will provide outplacement support to those unable to secure alternate employment at another Hanes facility.

According to Business North Carolina, the company employs about 51,000 people in 52 countries and is one of North Carolina’s largest employers. HanesBrands employs about 2,500 workers in North Carolina, 1,100 of those being in Forsyth County, which is where the Annapolis facility is located.

This isn’t the first mention of Hanes restructuring and cutting costs. In August 2023, it closed its Clarksville, Arkansas, manufacturing plant and cut 250 corporate jobs. Also in August, investment firm Barington Capital Group asked the company to reduce its debt and consider appointing a new CEO. In September 2023, the company announced it was considering the sale of its Champion business.

For the third quarter of 2023, HanesBrands reported net sales of $1.5 billion, a decline of 9.5% from the prior year, according to Yahoo Finance. It’s set to share its fourth-quarter earnings on Feb. 15.