Walmart will close its last two stores in crime-plagued Portland, Ore., as town contends with a relentless wave of shoplifting that has hammered retailers.
The 2 stores, situated within the North and Southeastern sections of the Rose City, will shutter on March 24.
The closure announcement followed a “careful review of their overall performance,” a Walmart spokesperson told local news outlet KPTV last month.
“We consider many aspects, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions,” the spokesperson added. “After we resolve to maneuver forward, our focus is on our associates and their transition, which is the case here.”
Nearly 600 employees who worked on the two stores face potential layoffs or transfers.
The Post reached out to Walmart for comment.
The Walmart stores will close later this month.Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
The corporate didn’t say whether retail theft was a consider the shop closures.
Nonetheless, Portland police carried out a retail theft “blitz” earlier this month to crack down on shoplifting throughout town, KPTV reported.
“We’re having big retailers leave,” said Jordan Zaitz, a member of the Portland Police’s Neighborhood Response Team. “I mean, to have Walmart close two of its stores is a extremely big deal. The people in those neighborhoods, that’s where they shop.”.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned in December that the corporate was seeing a spike in “shrink” — a term the retail industry uses to handle losses related to in-store theft or fraud.
“Theft is a problem. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” McMillon said during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on the time. “We’ve got safety measures, security measures that we’ve put in place by store location.
“I believe local law enforcement being staffed and being an excellent partner is a component of that equation, and that’s normally how we approach it,” McMillon added. “If that’s not corrected over time, prices might be higher, and/or stores will close.”
McMillon said Walmart takes a “city by city” and “location by location” approach to the shoplifting problem.
The town of Portland has faced a wave of shoplifting in recent months.Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
“It’s store managers working with local law enforcement and we’ve got great relationships there for essentially the most part,” he said.
McMillion didn’t comment on specific locations that faced potential closure.
As of last yr, Walmart had 4,720 stores within the US and 10,586 locations all over the world.
Other major retailers with stores based in Portland have experienced issues with shoplifting.
Last month, Nike asked city officials for permission to post off-duty law enforcement officials at Portland-based stores with the authority to arrest shoplifters, The Oregonian reported.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillion said in December that retailers were contending with a significant spike in theft.REUTERS
One in every of Nike’s stores in Northeast Portland has reportedly been mostly closed for months because of an increase of theft incidents.
Last October, local news outlet KGW reported that it witnessed shoplifting incidents at Nike, Home Depot and Goal.
Jeremy Girard of the Oregon Retail Crime Association told the outlet that shoplifting has reached a “crisis level” in Portland. He estimated that the worst-affected stores were losing as much as $5 million per yr to theft.
