Blue Apron Holdings Inc (APRN) said it had cut about 6 percent of its total workforce, nearly four months after going public, as the meal-kit delivery company comes under increasing pressure from deep-pocketed rivals such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN).
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Blue Apron, which went public in June has seen its valuation drop by more than 50 percent, due to rising costs, falling customer numbers and the threat of competition.
In July, Amazon registered a trademark for a similar meal-kit service as competition in the sector heats up.
Supermarket chain operator Albertsons Co Inc’s (ABS) acquisition of Plated in September and an increasing number of meal-kit companies such as Sun Basket planning to go public have also put pressure.
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Blue Apron expects to incur about $3.5 million in employee-related expenses due to the job cuts, according to a regulatory filing.
The company, which had 5,137 employees as of April 30, 2017, said the workforce reductions would be across both its corporate offices and fulfillment centers.
