Are all Walmart stores closing in Oregon?

The final two Walmart stores in Portland are closing permanently. The closures are set for March 24, 2023.

This comes months after CEO Doug McMillon warned the discount retailer was seeing a spike in “shrink” — a term the retail industry uses to address losses related to in-store theft or fraud.

A few Walmarts will remain open in Portland’s outskirts, but the city itself, which has long preferred independent and regional retailers, will be Walmart-free by March 24.

The shop closures will affect 580 employees, who will have the option to transfer to other locations in the area, according to the company.

The two Walmart stores that are closing are located outside of the city’s core. The first is in the Delta Park neighbourhood of far north Portland, and the second is in a shopping centre in Southeast Portland.

When it opened in 2013, the Delta Park location was the city’s first new Walmart in 18 years.  Walmart said the decision to close the Portland stores followed a “careful review of their overall performance,” a Walmart spokesperson told local news outlet KPTV last month.