Macy’s notified state officials this week that it will permanently close its store at the Lloyd Center Mall after the holiday season, the latest in a string of cuts as the department store chain struggles to survive.
The company said it will lay off all 83 who work in the 298,000-square-foot store beginning January 18. The closure is another blow to the Lloyd Center Mall, which lost another anchor tenant — Nordstrom — in 2015.
Macy’s announced in February, even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, that it would close 125 stores nationwide over three years. It said the closures would come in “lower tier malls.”
Department stores are facing enormous pressure from changing shopping habits, which have pulled potential customers out of cavernous indoor spaces as they shop in front of their computers.
The coronavirus pandemic has added another severe blow. While Oregon’s safety measures allow retailers continue operating, at modestly reduced capacity, COVID-19 has accelerated the trend toward online shopping.
Macy’s closed its flagship Oregon location, in the Meier and Frank building downtown, in 2015.
The Lloyd Center, distinguished by its centerpiece ice rink, is facing an existential crisis as tenants move out. It’s contemplated a bowling alley, concert venue and a complete makeover to reposition the site as an outdoor community hub. Centrally located on the city’s eastside, it’s also been floated as a prospective stadium site as part of Portland’s longshot effort to attract a Major League Baseball team.
The Lloyd Center site is the largest of Macy’s 11 locations in Oregon. In the Portland area, it also has stores at the Washington Square Mall, Vancouver Mall and Clackamas Town Center.
