Sony Mobile to move headquarters, slash 1000 jobs
updated 04:16 am EDT, Thu August 23, 2012
Move sees HQ travel from Sweden to Tokyo
Sony Mobile is to move its headquarters and cut its global headcount by 15 percent. As well as shifting its corporate headquarters and certain other functions from Lund, Sweden to Tokyo, Japan, the company also plans to cut loose around 1000 personnel during the 2012 to 2013 financial years, in an effort to increase operational efficiency and reduce costs.
A redundancy notification called a "varsel" has been filed with Swedish authorities, notifying them of 650 job closures at the Lund location. The remaining losses will be made up primarily of consultants in Sweden, although Sony Mobile contends that Lund will remain as an "important strategic site," with a primary focus on software and application development.
Parent company Sony posted a $312 million loss for the first quarter earlier this month, forcing it to slash forecasts for the full financial year. One of Sony CEO Kaz Hirai's recovery strategies for the company, entitled "One Sony," expects to see a return to profitability by slashing 10,000 jobs globally.
