In October, Sony Mobile will move its head office from Lund to Japan. This follows Sony's acquisition of 100 percent of the company last year, after Ericsson sold its stake in the handset maker. The newspaper said 600 of the branch's staff are consultants. Changes to Sony Mobile Communications' global structure will affect facilities in Tokyo and Beijing, too and in total, the company plans to cut its workforce by about 15 percent or 1,000 people including consultants.
Sony Mobile said Lund will continue to be a strategically important location. SydSvenskan cited branch director Alf Johansson as saying it is impossible to guarantee that these will be the last job cuts in Lund. He said the aim is to return the company to profitability and increase efficiency. He said the company is operating in what might be the toughest market in the world for bringing out new products for which people are prepared to pay a relatively high price, and that it simply has not been sharp enough.
