By Carson Hartzog
Copyright startribune
Bluestem, the parent company of one of Minnesota’s former retail greats, Fingerhut, is closing its Eden Prairie headquarters and laying off the remaining employees after slashing its workforce in February.
The company — known legally as BLST Operating Company, LLC — notified state officials Wednesday that 103 employees across various departments will be laid off in mid-November.
A Bluestem representative was unavailable for comment Thursday.
CEO Robert Warshauer called the moves a “reorganization” leading to permanent closure and layoffs in Eden Prairie in a letter to the state Department of Employment and Economic Development. His job is among those listed as being eliminated.
In August, Bluestem announced it would close its St. Cloud distribution center, resulting in 118 layoffs before the end of the year. Those layoffs will take place over two phases, beginning Oct. 26 and ending Nov. 14.
The company has also shut a distribution center in Georgia, laying off 160.
Fingerhut was once a giant in the mail-order catalog business. When the company started in 1948, it sold automobile seat covers but later evolved into a conglomeration of goods from closet organizers to gadgets.
The Minnesota-based retailer differentiated itself from other businesses by implementing a technique known as “hire purchase,” making monthly payments, similar to today’s “buy now, pay later” model.
