Alerzo

Nigerian B2B eCommerce startup Alerzo laid off 100 employees in November 2023, reportedly due to warehouse automation. This move follows previous workforce reductions, including a 15% cut of 400 employees seven months prior. With these layoffs, the company's total employee count is estimated to fall below 700. A company spokesperson cited investments in an end-to-end warehouse management system that improved automation and performance metrics, leading to the streamlining of certain warehouse roles. Most affected employees worked across the company's 40 warehouses, where new software reduced approval layers and made some positions redundant. The laid-off staff will receive one month's salary as severance and retain HMO benefits through the end of the year, as Alerzo continues its restructuring efforts aimed at achieving profitability.

In March 2023, Nigerian retail-focused startup Alerzo laid off approximately 400 employees, as reported by multiple sources, though the company stated the figure affected 15% of its full-time staff (150-200 people) plus 150-200 part-time workers. This followed earlier layoffs of hundreds in August and September 2022. The company cited difficult macroeconomic conditions, post-election uncertainties, and a need to improve unit economics as reasons, also reducing its business footprint by closing 14 warehouses nationwide. Affected employees received termination emails in early March, with severance packages including one to two months' salary. The layoffs impacted various roles, including communications, reflecting broader restructuring beyond previous warehouse-focused cuts.

In a brutal week of layoffs during September 2022, Nigerian retail-focused startup Alerzo laid off over 100 employees, part of a broader wave of dismissals that saw more than 200 staff fired since May 2022. The company, operating in the e-commerce and logistics industry, cited performance issues as the reason, though employees described an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, attributing the cuts to overestimation of hiring needs during expansion and fluctuating business demand. The layoffs primarily affected ground-level officers in logistics and loading roles, reflecting challenges in scaling operations amid market realities.