Multititle cataloger Redcats USA announced it will close its customer contact center located in Universal City, TX, on Dec. 18. Nearly 500 employees will be laid off as a result of the closing, company officials said in a release.
Redcats USA plans to consolidate all of its customer contact functions at the company’s existing center in El Paso. “With this transition, the El Paso customer contact center will be fully maximized, and we will reduce duplication of processes and increase efficiencies,” Redcats USA spokesperson Pat Cross says.
The New York-based company decided to close the Universal City call center due to several factors, including the sale of its Chadwick’s, Metrostyle, and Closeout Catalog Outlet brands in July and the recession. Also, more customers have been migrating from the catalog phones to Redcats USA’s online shopping sites.
What’s more, Redcats USA has found that the El Paso operations have a more favorable cost structure than Universal City. “Even though we anticipate the headcount in El Paso will increase, we do not know by how much at this point,” Cross says.
The Universal City facility opened in 1995. Redcats USA, a subsidiary of the Redcats Group in Europe, specializes in plus-size apparel. Its brands include Avenue, Woman Within, Jessica London, Roaman’s, KingSize, BrylaneHome, The Sportsman’s Guide and The Golf Warehouse.