Raining Rose cuts staff amid sales decline

CEDAR RAPIDS - Raining Rose on Wednesday announced it had cut workers in one of its five divisions.

A source with the company said fewer than 50 employees would be affected.

The company in a news release did not state which division was affected or how many employees would be losing their jobs.

'Our largest division was down approximately 25 percent in 2016 and the current forecast indicates continuing declines into 2017,” Chuck Hammond, president and CEO of Raining Rose, said in the statement.

The other four divisions continue to see 'strong growth,” Hammond said.

'This has been an incredibly difficult process for the company, but one we feel is necessary to allow us the flexibility to continue to grow and invest in the four divisions that are performing well. We sincerely regret the impact this has on each individual employee affected,” he said.

Affected employees were notified Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, the statement said.

Raining Rose will provide severance and outplacement services to those workers.

The company does not expect any additional layoffs, the news release said.