Levi Strauss & Co. is laying off dozens of employees in San Francisco following the sale of its Dockers brand, according to a filing the company created with state and local authorities.
The job cuts, which will launch Sept. 12 and continue in phases through Jan. 31, 2026, come as the company winds down all U.S. operations related to Dockers, the once-popular khaki brand it launched in 1986.
The layoffs affect 44 employees at the company’s headquarters at 1155 Battery St., with roles ranging from designers and product developers to senior executives such as the CEO of Dockers and the brand’s global head of merchandising.
The decision follows Levi Strauss’ May agreement to sell Dockers’ assets to ABG-Dune LLC, a unit of brand management firm Authentic Brands Group.
While the filings list the layoffs tied to Levi Strauss’ San Francisco headquarters, the broader impact of the company’s exit from Dockers includes employees across multiple states, Levi’s Associate General Counsel Emily Knoles wrote in the notice.
The sale signals a continued shift by Levi Strauss toward its core denim business and a growing emphasis on direct-to-consumer sales.
The company posted $1.4 billion in net revenue — up 6% year over year — and a record gross margin of 62.6%. It marked the company’s 13th consecutive quarter of global direct-to-consumer comparable sales growth.
The company declared it plans to return at least $100 million from the Dockers sale to shareholders, likely through stock acquirebacks.
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