Apple Layoffs? Company Getting Rid Of Key Apple Store Positions Next Month, Report Says

Apple is planning to get rid of certain retail positions at its stores at the end of next month, sources told MacRumors.

The Cupertino company plans to ditch positions, such as Business Manager, Business Events Lead, Events Coordinator and Events Lead.

Read: Apple Stock Spikes To Record High After Analyst Predicts $200 Price

Apple Store Leaders started telling affected employees about the plans earlier this week, with many workers caught by surprise about the elimination of positions that have existed at stores for a long time, the report said.

On Apple’s jobs site, the company has already taken down “Business Manager” as a position. The elimination of that role is surprising, since Business Managers are in charge of the Business Team and are responsible for bringing in up to 20 percent of overall sales at Apple stores, the source told MacRumors.

The report said:

"These managers have established relationships with various small and medium businesses in their markets," said the source. "Their position is highly specialized and often times not easily understood by retail leadership who do not have experience in B2B sales." Existing managers, senior managers, store leaders, and market leaders are currently unfamiliar with the "complex sales cycles involved with B2B engagements," so Apple's retail change could have a significant impact on business sales.

Read: Apple Car Project: Company Reportedly Hiring Robotics, Computer Vision Researchers For Swiss Facility

Workers affected by the changes will be able to take a lower level position or take two months of severance pay.

The elimination of these positions come after Apple introduced other changes last year in U.S. and U.K. stores. In 2016, the company added three new retail positions, including Pro, Creative Pro, and Technical Expert, while other positions were renamed.