CALIFORNIA : BRIEFLY / CONSUMER PRODUCTS : Reebok to Reduce Work Force by 10%

Reebok International Ltd. said it plans to lay off 10% of its 6,600 workers worldwide in an attempt to cut costs and restructure its business. The cuts include 120 jobs out of the 1,200 people that work at the company’s headquarters in Stoughton, Mass. Further details on the job cuts will be announced over the next few weeks, a spokeswoman said. Reebok’s U.S. market share has fallen from nearly 25% in 1991 to just over 10% this year, according to First Securities Van Kasper. Reebok CEO Carl Yankowski said the company would seek to focus more on women’s athletics, where the company held an advantage in the early 1980s, and on footwear styles for leisure athletics rather than for professional athletes. He also said Reebok is drastically cutting its number of shoe styles to strengthen the Reebok identity.