Employees at the Irvine Distribution Center were notified this week that operations are closing and moving to Georgia by the end of April.

“Positions at the IDC will be eliminated,” according to a letter dated Nov. 9 sent to employees from BLST Operating Company. BLST acquired Bluestem Brands, the parent company of Blair, in August. “We anticipate termination dates will begin in March 2021.”

The company said it will provide employees at least 60 days notice of their termination as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

“This was a difficult decision based on reduced inventory levels years in the making and an expensive lease with limited options,” according to the letter.

Operations that had been handled at the IDC will be moved to the EDC – the Eatonton, Ga., Distribution Center, according to the letter.

BLST expressed a willingness to talk to employees who are interested in relocating “about opportunities to join the EDC team.”

As recently as the fourth quarter of 2019, Blair was listed as one of the top 10 employers in Warren County.

Attempts to reach company representatives for comment have been unsuccessful.