StubHub is set to close or scale back several of its international offices due to the COVID-19 crisis, which has shuttered live events since January in some regions.
The ticketing resale firm, which is headquartered in California, sent an email to its staff indicating that it would be shutting its offices in the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions.
The message, which has been seen by the Guardian newspaper, said: “This decision has not been made lightly, nor easily, and unfortunately it means that we have to bid farewell to our colleagues in Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea.”
Around 100 employees out of StubHub’s 650-person workforce are facing redundancy as part of the closures. The firm said the “incredibly challenging environment” the pandemic had caused forced it to move more swiftly than previously planned.
It will run its international operations from Europe, though cutbacks are expected in the region as well.
In a separate message to its offices in Spain, StubHub detailed plans to reduce its operations in Madrid through furloughing or reducing hours for staff.
A spokesperson for the company said: “While events will be among the last to return to normal following this pandemic, we’re confident in the industry’s ability to rebound.
“For now, we continue to support our customers and partners and look forward to a time when we are able to return to the joy of live events and the special connections that come with them.”
The announcement comes after the UK’s competition watchdog last week rejected a proposal by Viagogo to sell StubHub’s European entities to ensure its $4.05bn acquisition would be approved.
The offer was made last month as Viagogo sought to appease the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) competition concerns ahead of an in-depth Phase 2 investigation being announced.
Image: Ajay Suresh
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