Bullock’s to Cut 25 Jobs, Move Ad Offices to Atlanta

Bullock’s, the Southern California department store chain bought last May by R. H. Macy & Co., is eliminating between 25 and 30 jobs in Los Angeles and shifting its creative and advertising operation to Macy’s offices in Atlanta.

Employees of the sales promotion staff were told Thursday that, as of January, advertising design, layout and other creative functions will be performed in Atlanta. About a dozen employees in the operations and finance end of the advertising and sales promotion department will remain at the Los Angeles headquarters, said Cheryl Fox, Bullock’s new publicity and special events director.

A Bullock’s sales promotion employee called The Times to say the department’s 40 employees had been “axed.” However, Fox, who joined Bullock’s five weeks ago from Macy’s operation in Dallas, said Friday that no layoffs were announced. “We expect to place all of the (affected workers),” she said. “That’s our goal.”

The company hopes to transfer some employees to Atlanta and to place others in jobs at corporate headquarters or in Bullock’s 22 branches, she added.

Morale at Bullock’s has been shaky since its purchase by Macy’s six months ago. At that time, much of the responsibility for buying merchandise was moved to Atlanta, among other changes. The number of buyers was reduced to 75 from about 90, and the number of assistant buyers dropped to 75 from 100. Some of the buying staff remained in Southern California, working out of “regional” locations in three Bullock’s stores.