An electronic advertisement for a McDonalds food is seen at a bus stop on Oxford Street in London, Britain, May 11, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp MCD.N is planning a new round of layoffs to flatten out its management structure further, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing a company email sent to all its U.S. employees, suppliers and franchisees.

Shares of the burger chain rose 3.6 percent in early trading.

McDonald’s USA President Chris Kempczinski said some employees will ultimately exit the company but did not mention the scope of the headcount reduction, according to the memo cited by the newspaper.

“We are putting into place a new U.S. field structure that will better support our franchisees and will ensure McDonald’s continues on a path to being more dynamic, nimble and competitive,” McDonald’s spokeswoman Terri Hickey told Reuters.

Kempczinski said in a video message the company would reduce the number of layers between field consultants and Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook to six from eight, according to the Journal.