West Marine Closes Two Facilities

Boating supplies cataloger/retailer has closed a distribution center in Hagerstown, MD, and a call center in Largo, FL.

Most of the 41 employees who worked at the Hagerstown DC will be offered employment at a fulfillment center in Rock Hill, SC. Workers at the Largo call center will have the option to work from home.

The Watsonwille, CA-based company, which has been hurt by softness in the boating industry, has also restructured its wholesale business. That measure reduced head count by 40%.

West Marine had announced earlier this year that it planned to close 10-15 of its 370 stores. But CEO Geoff Eisenberg said during a July 24 conference call with analysts and investors that the company may close twice that many by the end of the year.

What’s more, West Marine plans to cut catalog-printing costs and focus more on online sales.