Last Updated on March 6, 2023
Walmart has announced that all of its Portland locations will be closing amid surging crime.
“We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S. and unfortunately some do not meet our financial expectations. While our underlying business is strong, these specific stores haven’t performed as well as we hoped,” the company said in a statement to Fox Business.
Closures are currently scheduled for March 24, when the Hayden Meadows and East Port Plaza locations will close. Workers at those locations, some 580, are reportedly scrambling to find jobs outside of the city, Fox reported.
Walmart’s CEO recently stated that additional closures could be expected across the nation due to rampant retail theft in particular cities. “Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon,” said in an interview.
In the company’s statement to Fox Business, WalMart sidestepped directly naming crime as the reason for the store closures. “We do a thorough review of how a store performs and weigh many factors before making the difficult decision to close a facility,” a company spokesman said.
“We consider many factors, including current and projected financial performance, location, population, customer needs, and the proximity of other nearby stores when making these difficult decisions. Our focus right now is taking care of our associates during this transition and working with our customers to transition their pharmacy, and other, shopping needs to nearby stores.”
Portland has recorded astronomical spikes in violent and property crimes since far-left militants have largely been given free reign in the city since 2019. Between 2019 and 2021, the city’s homicide rate spiked 207%, one of the highest increases in the nation.
The city also surpassed a record in car thefts in 2022.