46 Focus employees facing layoffs, reassignments

Focus on the Family plans to restructure its distribution arm, a move that will affect 46 employees through layoffs or reassignment next year.

Over the past few years, Focus has seen a significant decline in its sales of books, CDs and DVDs, which the organization blames on competition from online retailers and large retailers like Wal-Mart. To help save money, Focus partnered with Christian Book Distributors of Peabody, Mass., to take over its product distribution early next year. Each shipment of materials costs Focus about $8, the organization's president and CEO, Jim Daly, said Tuesday. Through CBD, the cost will go down by more than 50 percent.

Daly said the idea to restructure distribution started about a year and a half ago.

"The decision was out of respect to the donors who support us," Daly said. "It will allow us to use the distribution savings for additional ministry."

The poor economy was not a factor in the decision, Daly said.

Focus, which has about 1,200 employees, laid off 30 people in September 2007 and reassigned 15 others to new jobs.

The latest round of layoffs and reassignments won't go into effect until next year, and will affect mostly warehouse workers and a few in the marketing department.

Daly said Focus is monitoring its donations and the state of the economy to determine if future layoffs will be required.
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