Peloton Interactive PTON-Q is planning to cut about 12 per cent of its work force, in what will be its fourth round of layoffs this year to “save” the fitness equipment maker, a memo sent to its staff showed on Thursday.
The company’s latest move to lay off 500 global jobs also marks its final step of restructuring, which began under the watch of Barry McCarthy, who took over as Peloton’s chief executive officer in February.
“I know many of you will feel angry, frustrated, and emotionally drained by today’s news, but please know this is a necessary step if we are going to save Peloton, and we are,” Mr. McCarthy said in the internal memo seen by Reuters.
Peloton was one of the biggest beneficiaries of COVID-19 lockdowns as its connected exercise bikes and treadmills became all the rage among stuck-at-home fitness enthusiasts.
However, the pandemic-induced momentum in sales soon petered out with the reopening of gyms and fitness centres, pushing the company into a string of quarterly losses and forcing it to take drastic measures to cut costs.
Peloton said in February it was cutting about 2,800 jobs to revitalize sagging sales and win back investor confidence. That was followed by the cutting of 570 jobs in its Tonic Fitness Technology unit in July and 800 jobs at the company in August.
The company had 3,723 individuals in the United States and 857 internationally as of June 30, according to a 10K filing.
“The bulk of our restructuring work is complete,” Mr. McCarthy said. “We are eliminating these positions and reducing other operating expenses, in order to reach break even cash flow by year-end FY23.”
However, GlobalData Retail managing director Neil Saunders is not willing to buy the restructuring story yet.
While the layoffs might help cut losses in the quarters ahead, on their own they are unlikely to transform the fortunes of Peloton, Mr. Saunders said.