HP Plans to Lay Off About 1,770 Workers

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s second-largest computer maker, said Sunday that it will cut about 2% of its work force by the end of April as the company restructures its sales and marketing arm.

The number of cuts hasn’t been set, spokeswoman Suzette Stephens said. Two percent of HP’s 88,500 workers would be 1,770 people.

Chief Executive Carly Fiorina has overhauled the way the company sells and markets computers, printers and consumer gear. She’s slashed the number of product divisions to 16 from 83 and reduced the number of advertising agencies they use to two from 43. The restructuring left “enormous replication” in internal sales and marketing jobs, Stephens said.

“This was way too much head count,” she said. “Customers want solutions. They don’t want different product organizations selling a product.”

Fiorina announced the plans in a memo last week. Affected employees will be notified in February and allowed to apply for other jobs at the Palo Alto-based computer maker, Stephens said.

Shares were unchanged at $34.44 on Friday in New York Stock Exchange trading. They have fallen 19% in the last year. HP this month cut sales and profit targets for its fiscal first quarter ending this week.