According to a number of source, including the WPRI and the Providence Journal, there are indeed some 'difficult changes' happening over at the toy maker's, meaning that - despite no official confirmation - there may be some layoffs happening in the coming period (not ideal, given the holiday season approaching, and way too similar to the Toys R Us situation last year).
While the company won't confirm layoffs, Hasbro said Wednesday it is making "meaningful organizational changes" that will affect "a single-digit percentage" of its global workforce.
The Providence-based toymaker sent a statement to Eyewitness News after inquiries about possible layoffs at the company.
"While some of these changes are difficult, we must ensure we have the right teams in place with the right capabilities to lead the company into the future," spokeswoman Julie Duffy said in a statement. "We continue to add new capabilities based on our understanding of the consumer and how our retailers are going to market, while evolving the way we organize our business across our Brand Blueprint."
This, however, also follows what seems to be an investor lawsuit, conducted by Pomerantz Law Firm, concerning 'whether Hasbro and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices'. This apparently relates back to the financial report from last October, too.
The announcement of Hasbro making changes comes a day after Pomerantz Law Firm said that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Hasbro, Inc. as to whether Hasbro and certain of its officers and/or directors "have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices."
"The claims have no merit and we intend to vigorously defend against them," said Duffy and that the staff cuts are unrelated.
According to reports, in October of 2017 Hasbro said they saw a 5% decline in the Company’s U.S. and Canada segment’s operating profit to $217.3 million, compared to $228 million in 2016.
After the disclosures, Hasbro’s stock dropped $8.44 per share and closed at $89.75 per share on October 23, 2017.
We'll keep an eye on updates on this story, and bring them to you as soon as any developments arise, but do let us know your thoughts in the comments.
EDIT:
AcademyofDrX wrote:The excerpt below is directly from PR wire copy:
"According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Hasbro's relationship with Toys ''R'' Us was becoming increasingly important to Hasbro's business, but Toys ''R'' Us was in far worse financial condition than was being publicly reported; (2) Hasbro was experiencing significant undisclosed adverse sales issues in two key markets - the United Kingdom and Brazil - which were negatively impacting Hasbro's efforts to grow sales in those markets; and (3) as a result of foregoing, defendants' statements about Hasbro's business and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages."
Companies are required by law to tell their shareholders how their business is doing. These statements have to be truthful. The alleged fraud is basically that before the TRU bankruptcy, Hasbro said that things were okay, and after they weren't very okay. That's the gist of it. Ther no expectation that there are fudged numbers in a ledger, but if Hasbro knew the risks of the bankruptcy and didn't tell investors, that would make those statements false. I wouldn't recommend reading too much into this stuff.
