One of the top e-cigarette brands in the world will reportedly lay off over half of its staff after sales fell dramatically following a tightening of regulations on vaping in the United States.
The e-cigarette maker Juul announced plans to make “significant” cuts to its global workforce on Thursday, slashing 1,200 jobs and pulling out of some Asian and European markets altogether, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.
A representative from Juul said that no permanent decision had been finalized but that the brand is in the process of evaluating the role of employees at the company, which is partially owned by Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes.
“No final decisions have been made, and we will continue to go through our evaluation process,” a Juul representative told the Wall Street Journal.
Juul faced fierce criticism in the fall months of 2019, arising from health concerns and government scrutiny over its marketing campaigns that appealed to young adults in the U.S. The company pulled completely out of South Korea this year following declining sales amid tightening restrictions on vaping.
