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Even with rising revenue, Americanas cuts more than 4,000 jobs and accelerates restructuring in 2026
The reduction of thousands of positions occurs amid the retailer’s judicial recovery process, which continues adjusting operations, strengthening physical stores, and seeking financial balance after one of the country’s largest corporate crises.
Americanas once again caught the market’s attention by announcing a significant reduction in its workforce during April 2026. According to information published on the NDmais portal and in the company’s monthly statement, the retailer made 4,314 layoffs during the period, while only hiring 726. The data was released by the company itself and reflects another stage of the restructuring process initiated after the financial crisis revealed in 2023.
Despite the sharp decrease in the number of employees, the operational results show a more complex scenario. While reducing costs and reorganizing its structure, the company recorded significant sales growth and showed improvement in its financial indicators, although it still remains in the red.
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Americanas reduces workforce and keeps store network practically stable
The team downsizing occurred throughout April and had a direct impact on the total number of workers at the company. By the end of the month, Americanas had 22,797 employees hired under the CLT regime.
Among the recorded layoffs, 1,069 were initiated by the employees themselves, through resignation requests. Even so, most of the departures are related to the internal reorganization process promoted by the company.
While the workforce was significantly reduced, the physical operation showed few changes. The network ended April with 1,448 stores operating nationwide. During the period, one unit was closed and another was opened, keeping the brand’s presence in the Brazilian retail market practically unchanged.
This data reinforces the company’s current strategy, which has prioritized maintaining the reach of its physical stores even amid ongoing financial adjustments.
Financial pressure continues despite operational improvement
The disclosed numbers also help to understand the challenges faced by the retailer in its financial recovery.
According to the report, the company ended April 2026 with R$ 185.7 million in available cash. When considering financial investments and securities, the total availability reached R$ 441 million.
On the other hand, the cash flow of the last 12 months reveals that the pressure on finances remains high. Between May 2025 and April 2026, Americanas recorded inflows of R$ 17.5 billion, while disbursements totaled R$ 18.3 billion.
In practice, this means that the company still spent more resources than it managed to generate in the analyzed period, highlighting the need to continue adopting expense control and operational optimization measures.
Furthermore, experts are closely monitoring the evolution of these indicators, as cash generation capacity is considered one of the most important factors for the success of a judicial recovery.
Revenue grows almost 20%, but company continues to record losses
Although the financial scenario still requires caution, the operational results brought positive signs for the company.
In the first quarter of 2026, Americanas recorded a 19.8% growth in gross revenue compared to the same period of the previous year. The progress shows that the company managed to increase its sales volume even amid the restructuring process.
Even so, the final results remained negative. The retailer ended the quarter with a loss of R$ 329 million.
Despite the unfavorable result, there was a significant improvement compared to the previous year. Losses were reduced by 33.7%, indicating gradual progress in the company’s financial and operational recovery.
A large part of this performance was driven by physical stores. The network’s units accounted for R$ 3.3 billion in sales during the period, representing a 16.5% annual growth.
The result reinforces a strategic change that has been implemented by the company in recent years.
Understand why Americanas is betting more on physical stores
Since the discovery of accounting inconsistencies that triggered the financial crisis in 2023, Americanas has been promoting profound changes in its business model.
The company entered judicial recovery after revealing accounting problems that led to one of the largest corporate crises in Brazil’s recent history. Since then, it has initiated a broad reorganization program involving debt renegotiation, contract review, operational adjustments, and management changes.
In this context, the company also reformulated its commercial strategy.
In recent years, Americanas has gradually reduced the relevance of e-commerce within its operation, directing investments and efforts towards physical stores. At the same time, it has been strengthening hybrid models that integrate digital and in-person channels.
Among the initiatives that gained prominence is the online purchase with in-store pickup, considered one of the retailer’s main strategies to improve the consumer experience and increase logistical efficiency.
The strategy seeks to leverage the network’s wide physical presence across the country, transforming its stores into support points for digital sales and distribution operations.
Although the financial challenges are still considerable, the most recent numbers show that Americanas continues to advance in its recovery plan. The cut of more than 4,000 jobs in April highlights the pursuit of cost reduction, while the revenue growth demonstrates that the company continues to find room to expand its sales in an increasingly competitive market.
The evolution of these indicators in the coming months will be decisive in evaluating the effectiveness of the restructuring and the future of one of the most traditional brands in Brazilian retail.
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