Zondervan makes layoffs in ‘consolidation’

Written by Eric Tiansay

Thursday, 15 April 2010 04:11 PM America/New_York

Zondervan laid off 30 employees earlier this week as part of "consolidation of some publishing units." The Grand Rapids, Mich., publisher--which still has 374 employees--said it was streamlining operations, but was also hiring people for its digital and multimedia operations, The Grand Rapids Press reported.

"We've developed a comprehensive strategic plan, which includes consolidation of some publishing units, streamlining of sales and operations and, unfortunately, the elimination of about 30 positions companywide," Zondervan spokesperson Tara Powers said. "While streamlining our operations is necessary in the context of both our business mandate and our mission to reach more people for Christ, it makes these changes no less difficult."

Powers said the employees who were let go April 13 were given severance packages. Despite the layoffs, the company's Web site listed 16 job openings--12 positions in the Grand Rapids headquarters and four in Zondervan's Seattle office.

More openings will be posted, Powers told the Press. "We will be looking to add people to our team who have digital and multimedia experience as that will be an important growth area as the demand for e-books and digital formats continues to grow," she added.

Last week, Zondervan--a division of HarperCollins--announced the release of more than 1,000 titles for the iPad, Apple's new digital-media device.