Cumberland Farms eliminates 60 positions in Westborough
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Westborough - As a result of the decision to outsource half of the operations at its Flanders Road plant, Cumberland Farms laid off 60 employees last month at its Westborough facility.

"Cumberland Farms had been conducting six diff erent operations out of the Westborough plant - a warehouse distribution center, a cooler for ice cream, and a bakery, a bottling, and a sandwich-making operation," said Christen Graham, a representative for the convenience store chain.

"Management decided, however, that a downsizing to re-focus on core priorities was in order," Graham said. "Cumberland Farms believes its core is its convenience store retailing operation and its gas distribution chain."

As a result, Graham said, the bakery, bottling and sandwich making parts of the operation were outsourced.

"We were able to relocate a few employees at the facility, but unfortunately we did have to issue layoff notices to about 60 employees," Graham said. "The fulltime employees that were laid off were given a twomonth severance package of full salary and benefits."

Graham said part-time employees who were laid off were not given the same severance package. She said she did not know how many of the layoffs involved full-time employees.

The layoff notices, which went out Jan. 25, went into effect that day. Graham said Cumberland Farms still employs 150 employees at the 550,000-square-foot facility, which is located on 94 acres at 165 Flanders Road.

Cumberland Farms employs more than 7,000 employees acros s the Northeast and in Florida, and operates more than 600 convenience stores.

Graham said Cumberland Farms does not plan any further work force reductions at its Westborough plant.