Tuft & Needle, a direct-to-consumer mattress company, laid off a portion of its retail staff and temporarily closed all six of its physical stores in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The layoffs affected retail employees as the company shifted back to its primarily online operations amid widespread lockdowns. While the exact number of employees let go was not specified, the company expressed hope to rehire them once stores could safely reopen. This move reflected broader challenges faced by digitally-native brands with brick-and-mortar expansions during the health crisis.
