This July 7, 2017, photo shows QVC facility in West Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Pa. company will lay off 1,124 employees at its soon-to-be-closed distribution center
QVC will be permanently closing and ceasing all operations at the facility in Lancaster County.
By Daniel Urie/PennLive
This July 7, 2017, photo shows QVC facility in West Chester, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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(Lancaster) — More than 1,100 people will be laid off from a distribution center in Lancaster County after the distribution center closes.
QVC will be permanently closing and ceasing all operations at its distribution center at 1000 Stony Battery Road in West Hempfield Township.
The closing of the distribution center was first announced by the shopping network’s parent company, the Qurate Retail Group back in October of 2018.
At the time, the company announced the closing of the QVC fulfillment center in East Hempfield Township, an HSN fulfillment center in Roanoke, Va., and a temporary fulfillment operation in Greeneville, Tenn. But, said all three would remain in operation until a new center in Bethlehem was fully operational. The new facility in Bethlehem began operations with limited shipments from the facility last fall.
The closing of the center in Lancaster County became official this week when the Qurate Retail Group filed a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Notice with the Pennsylvania department of Labor & Industry. The 1,124 employees at the Lancaster County distribution center will be laid off between July 1 and early 2021 in phases. The company said that it will offer its employees reassignment opportunities. Some employees have already transferred to positions at other QVC locations or are in corporate roles that will not be eliminated with this closure.
The WARN Act is federal legislation that offers protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of a covered-business closing and covered-business mass layoff. Enforcement of the WARN Act falls under U.S. Department of Labor jurisdiction, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry website.
In 2017, the Liberty Interactive Corporation, the parent company of Chester County-based QVC, acquired the Home Shopping Network for $2.1 billion. Previously, Liberty Interactive owned 38.2 percent of Home Shopping Network Inc. and, under that agreement it acquired the remaining 61.8 percent stake. Liberty changed its name to Qurate Retail Inc. on April 9, 2018.
Qurate Retail Group operates QVC, HSN, Zulily, Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Ryllace and Grandin Road, and is based in West Goshen Township, Chester County.
The company said that the new site will reduce delivery times by two days, increase package consolidation and reduce shipping costs. The facility will eventually handle both QVC products and HSN products.
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