Doc Martens to Lay Off 71 at Portland Distribution Center

Layoffs are far less common than they were earlier in the pandemic.

Doc Martens. (Ronnie Gavelin)
By Nigel Jaquiss

A couple of years ago, the state agency responsible for tracking large layoffs sent out notices regularly as the pandemic rippled through the economy.

Not so much anymore.

The layoffs the state Higher Education Coordinating Commission announced today—for Doc Martens, the shoe company—were the first since the end of March and only the sixth such announcement this year.

Doc Martens told the state in a May 18 letter released today that it will permanently lay off 71 workers at its North Portland distribution facility in September and will close the facility at the end of October. The company did not give a reason for the closure.

There were 14 layoff notices in Oregon in 2021 after a whopping 119 (many of which were temporary) in 2020.





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