SIMI VALLEY : Wambold Furniture Cuts 105 Workers

Wambold Furniture, one of the largest manufacturers in Simi Valley, has laid off 105 of its 555 employees, officials said Friday.

The company laid off the production workers Jan. 3 because of a decline in sales, said spokeswoman Robyne Kaplan. The company manufactures and distributes furniture to retail outlets nationwide.

“This is not something we enjoy doing,” Kaplan said of the layoffs. “But something had to be done to save the jobs of the other 450 employees.”

Kaplan said workers had been aware that there might be some job losses.

The layoffs come on the heels of an announcement in late December that First Interstate Bancard in Simi Valley would lay off 130 of its 700 workers in April. Officials of First Interstate, the largest private company in the city, said they had been planning to streamline operations for over a year.

Mayor Greg Stratton said he was disappointed but not surprised by the news of Wambold’s action.

“It’s tough out there right now,” he said. “Every company is doing what it can to survive. The squeeze is on for everybody.”

Kaplan said Wambold would provide counseling and job-placement services for its former workers.

She said company officials hope that they eventually will be able to rehire some of the laid-off employees.