Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards Inc. plans to cut nearly 400 jobs

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    KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) — A shake-up at Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards, Inc. could leave hundreds of employees out of work to start the new year.

That plan is said to include workers in the Kansas City area and comes despite the company reporting that business is actually good.

Beyond a statement, the company told KCTV5 News they would not be making any comment on these layoffs, but over the next several days, some 400 employees will be notified they are out of a job.

In a statement, the company started off by saying 2019 was a good year and that Hallmark and Crayola brands saw positive performances with increases in card distribution, Gold Crown stores had positive growth, and it was a strong year for its cable and streaming services.

President and CEO Mike Perry said there’s a “clear line of sight” to transformational work that needs to be done for the long term vision and mission they have for the business.

“This transformation includes actions to reduce the size of the current global workforce for Hallmark’s greeting card business, retail business, and corporate support functions,” he said. “These changes, while not easy, will enable us to invest in new growth strategies that will ultimately help us realize our future vision.”

Hallmark says those employees who are now out of a job will be offered severance and transition assistance and some will have the opportunity to apply for new positions.

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