ATLANTA — Home Depot is scaling back from its HDE installation business, prompting a round of layoffs, financial news service TheStreet reports. A source said large numbers of workers at a California location were made redundant, getting the news by a last-minute conference call. Many of those affected, according to the source, were former Sears employees.
For its part, Home Depot says it’s shifting focus onto its core retail business, but that fewer than 1,000 jobs are affected. “After reviewing the installation business, we’ve decided it’s right to wind down our roofing, siding, insulation and gutters,” said spokesman Stephen Holmes. “[They are] just not going to be part of our focus moving forward.” The HDE division isn’t disappearing altogether, he added, as other products including windows and doors remain available for installation.
