The boom fell at the Prodigy Services Co joint venture of IBM Corp and Sears, Roebuck & Co yesterday when the viewdata services company said it will cut its 1,100-strong workforce by about 250 and outsource some of its activities. Several marketing units have been consolidated into a single consumer marketing and development organisation under a new executive vice-president. The membership services operations are to be handed over to SPS Payment Systems, which is part of Sears’s Dean Witter financial services unit. About 65 employees whose functions are being transferred to SPS will be offered positions with that company.Prodigy membership rose by over 50% last year and reached 2m.
