Southern States, a Richmond-based agriculture supplier, laid off 30 employees from its corporate office.
“Even though global demand for agriculture remains high, Southern States isn’t immune to the current economic climate,” said Steve Patterson, vice president of marketing.
The layoffs were widely distributed in the corporate office, but the retail stores were not affected, he said, adding that the company would redistribute the workload while headquarters is restructured.
According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, agriculture and home building retail sales are down 20 percent this year.
Southern States has about 1,200 stores in 23 states.
An employee at the store on West Broad Street said that sales pick up every year around spring and that this year was no exception. But hardware and agricultural retailers have been struggling with the recession as consumers cut back on big-ticket items such as tractors and lawn mowers.
David Larter is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected].
Southern States, a Richmond-based agriculture supplier, laid off 30 employees from its corporate office.
“Even though global demand for agriculture remains high, Southern States isn’t immune to the current economic climate,” said Steve Patterson, vice president of marketing.
The layoffs were widely distributed in the corporate office, but the retail stores were not affected, he said, adding that the company would redistribute the workload while headquarters is restructured.
According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, agriculture and home building retail sales are down 20 percent this year.
Southern States has about 1,200 stores in 23 states.
An employee at the store on West Broad Street said that sales pick up every year around spring and that this year was no exception. But hardware and agricultural retailers have been struggling with the recession as consumers cut back on big-ticket items such as tractors and lawn mowers.
David Larter is a BizSense reporter. Please send news tips to [email protected].