BY LISA BIANK FASIG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Three area companies plan to dismiss 385 workers between mid-December and early January, according to records filed with Ohio's Bureau of Employment Services.
Federated Department Stores expects to release 175 workers from its Sharonville Logistics & Operations division Jan 8. Club Chef-Midwest, a vegetable processing business, reported to the state it will let go 123 people at its Lockland operations Dec. 13. And Franciscan Medical Center said it would release 87 workers Dec. 20.
For Federated, the move follows an announcement in July that the retailer would relocate some of its area operations to New Jersey. Federated spokeswoman Jean Reisinger-Coggan said small-ticket distribution and central return center functions would be consolidated in its Secaucus, N.J., distribution center, where the company has additional space. The accounts-payable group, with about 200 workers, will remain in Sharonville.
Secaucus is headquarters to Federated Logistics & Operations (FLO).
Ms. Reisinger-Coggan said some of the workers have been transfered to a FLO facility near Atlanta, and some to its accounts payable area.
Federated has not yet arrived at definitive plans for how to use the Kemper Road facility.
Club Chef, owned jointly by Castellini Produce Co. and Chiquita Brands International Inc., filed notice with the state in October. The job dismissals come as it plans to consolidate operations into its West End complex.
The Lockland site had been Club Chef's original. The company processes and packages salads and vegetables for restaurants and stores.
Officials at Club Chef and Franciscan either could not be reached or did did not return calls Thursday.
