=Ralph Lauren (RL) to cut jobs, shut shops, lower real estate

(Reuters) - Luxury fashion retailer Ralph Lauren Corp (RL) said it would cut jobs, close stores and reduce its real estate as part of a sweeping plan to lower costs and revive sales growth.

The company had about 493 directly operated retail stores and employed about 26,000 people, roughly 15,000 of who work full time as of April 2.

The retailer's sales had fallen in every quarter in fiscal 2016, leading to a full-year sales decline of nearly 3 percent.

Ralph Lauren said it expects net revenue for the current fiscal year to fall in the low-double digit percentage range, hurt in part by store closures, a pullback in inventory receipts and weak traffic.

The company brought in Stefan Larsson late last year in the hope that he could replicate his success of reviving sales at Gap Inc's (GPS) Old Navy.

Ralph Lauren said it expects to record restructuring charges of up to $400 million and an inventory reduction-related charge of up to $150 million, mostly in the current fiscal year.

The company expects the restructuring measures to result in about $180-$220 million of annualized expense savings.