Popular outdoor retailer and Dick’s Sporting Goods rival closing for good after 20 years amid safety concerns

A POPULAR outdoor retailer and rival to Dick’s Sporting Goods is closing its location in a major city.

The store says “increased crime” led to the closure in Portland, Oregon, after Walmart fled the city last month.

REI will close its Portland location in the Pearl District in early 2024, the store announced Monday, April 17.

The retailer, which has had a presence in downtown Portland for over 20 years, said in a statement that rising crime was the main reason for the closure.

“In recent years, Portland has struggled with increasing crime in our neighborhoods and beyond,” the company began.

“Last year, REI Portland had the highest number of burglaries and thefts in two decades, despite measures to provide additional security.”

The store added, “The safety of our staff, members and customers is always our top priority.”

REI also says the brand has outgrown the size of this store and is “no longer confident” in serving customers there.

“We’ve outgrown this location, so we can’t provide the level of customer and employee experience that we aspire to.”

While REI has no plans to open another store in downtown Portland anytime soon, the chain has about 180 other locations statewide.

You can find the nearest store using the company’s online store map.

The US Sun has contacted REI for more information on the closure.

CRIME CITY

REI isn’t the only chain fleeing Portland in the face of rising crime.

In March, Walmart closed its two remaining stores in the city forever.

While the company said the closures were made following an assessment of the stores’ “overall performance,” comments from Walmart chief executive officer Doug McMillon implied that crime had also played a role.

“Theft is a problem. It’s higher than it has been in the past,” McMillon told CNBC in December.

“If this is not corrected over time, prices will go higher and/or stores will close.”

LAST ORDER

But Portland isn’t the only city that allows its businesses to be affected by crime.

Last month, a restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa, was closed after reports of numerous shootings, stabbings and street brawls in the Court Avenue area.

Spaghetti Works, which served Italian fare to the city for 45 years, admitted crime had been a factor in the closure.

“There is a perception in the Des Moines area that Court Avenue is not safe,” company president Shelly Stokes said in an interview with local news station KCCI.

The US Sun has compiled a full list of stores scheduled to close in April.

And look which nationwide retailer filed for bankruptcy this week with 9,000 employees to lay off.