REI to shut Portland retailer after record-breaking variety of thefts, break-ins
Journey gear firm REI plans to shut its Portland retailer early subsequent 12 months after experiencing a record-breaking variety of thefts and break-ins, in line with a report.
REI stated its retailer in Portland’s Pearl District “had its highest variety of break-ins and thefts in twenty years, regardless of actions to offer additional safety” in an inside e-mail obtained by the Seattle Times.
The corporate additionally stated within the e-mail that it had “outgrown” the placement, which opened in 2004, and that the constructing wanted “vital funding” to mitigate undisclosed points.
REI spokesperson Megan Behrbaum instructed the native paper that the corporate spent tons of of hundreds of {dollars} in elevated safety measures for the Portland retailer final 12 months, however nonetheless suffered quite a few break-ins, together with a surprising Black Friday incident wherein a automotive plowed by means of the shop’s glass doorways.
The scary episode was the shop’s third break-in in only a week, the Seattle Occasions reported.
The corporate met with police following the November spectacle and has made greater than $800,000 price of safety upgrades in 2022, Behrbaum stated.
The upgrades included swapping the shop’s home windows for safety glass, hiring 24/7 non-public safety and putting in a surveillance trailer on the Portland store’s loading dock, in line with the paper.
“But, we nonetheless skilled 10 burglaries, together with one occasion that shut down our 14th Avenue entrance for greater than two months,” Behrbaum stated.
She stated the corporate can’t afford to pay for extra when the added safety has did not thwart thieves.
“The additional safety measures required to maintain clients and workers protected are usually not financially sustainable,” the spokesperson stated.
The Pearl District retailer employs greater than 150 individuals, in line with the native publication. Full-time employees out of a job will obtain severance pay following the shop closure subsequent 12 months.
It’s unclear if REI will open one other retailer in a special a part of Portland. The corporate solely stated it was “evaluating alternatives” within the metropolis.