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Macy's, the venerable New York-based department store chain, has told state officials it will close its Lloyd Center store, resulting in the layoff of 83 employees.
"The entire plant will close," a Macy's official told the state in a Nov. 17 letter. "Job eliminations are expected to be permanent and are scheduled to occur between January 18, 2021, and January 31, 2021."
The announcement comes four days after Gov. Kate Brown announced a statewide shutdown of many indoor activities, including reducing retail stores to 75% of capacity. There's no indication that Brown's announcement played a part in the closure, however.
Both Macy's and Lloyd Center were in trouble before the pandemic hit. Macy's and other large department stores have struggled to keep up with Americans' changing shopping patterns, as they move away from malls and more toward online purchases and boutiques.
Since its founding in 1960, Lloyd Center—then billed as the largest mall in the country—has occupied an outsized role on Portland's inner eastside. But despite efforts to refurbish and reinvent the space, Lloyd Center is subject to the same sweeping trends that have crippled malls across the country, as WW reported in a cover story last year.
Related: Will Lloyd Center Last Another Christmas? A Week Inside a Mall on the Edge