Industry News

StubHub accelerates relocation and redundancy plans to begin in December

StubHub is moving its customer services headquarters out of Connecticut starting in December in a decision that will see nearly 200 workers laid off or relocated.

eBay, StubHub’s owner, has informed the 197 staff in the town of East Granby, that they will be “separated or relocated” starting at the end of the year, according to a notice filed with the state Department of Labor, the Hartford Courant reports.

After 12 years in the North East of the US, the eBay-owned ticketing exchange is switching its customer operations to Salt Lake City, Utah, a decision it announced in May.

The ticketing firm said in a statement that it made a strategic business decision to move the Center of Excellence for Customer Experience and Trust Operations when the lease in East Granby expires in June 2018, though plans to move have been accelerated.

Employees were reportedly informed two weeks ago that the Salt Lake City office would be set up and staffed by February 1, 2018, StubHub said.

The company has said it will be offering some employees the chance to relocate to Utah, claiming that it will provide career management and transitional services for those with the opportunity to move with StubHub.

First Selectman James M. Hayden said the loss of close to 200 jobs is a “big deal,” as the company grew from only 20 people in its early days to a few hundred.

Previously, it was reported that more than 250 jobs would be lost and Hayden stated that StubHub paid $64,000 (€57,700/£49,400) worth of taxes to the Town of East Granby, so when the building is left unoccupied, it could potentially have a negative impact on the town’s revenue.