Earlier in the year, Sony announced that it would be merging all of its consumer electronics divisions into a single division, including its mobile division. Now it appears that the Japanese corporation is permanently shutting down its Sony Mobile Communications AB office over in Lund, Sweden.
According to local reports, Sony is expected to cut a further 60 positions from its Swedish office. This is in addition to the 200 people it already laid off at the end of last year and completed in March of this year. That leaves the offices with another 150 employees, but it’s not all doom and gloom for them; some of the remaining employees will reportedly be offered positions at Sony Nordic, which is the brand’s general European branch.
Seeing Sony’s Swedish office shutter its doors marks the end of an era. The building and its location was once the main office for Ericsson Mobile Communications until Sony came along and merged with it back in 2012. Officially renaming the company to Sony Mobile.
It’s no secret that Sony’s performance in the smartphone market has been nothing short of abysmal. At one point, the company was the fourth-largest smartphone maker in the world. These days, the Japanese brand is struggling to keep the Xperia line alive, but dated phone designs and a lacklustre software and UI experience are just some of the factors that have contributed to the brand’s waning popularity.
(Source: Xperia Blog via Android Police)
