Bi-Mart closing SE Portland store

[bryceleinan]

In a rare closure for NW stalwart Bi-Mart, the SE Portland location is closing later this month, according to an article from the Oregonian:

https://www.oregonlive.com/business/202 ... nuary.html

I’m going to let one of the Portland folks opine in this one, since it’s in a neighborhood I’m not super familiar with. I will say that I’m not surprised that retailers in Portland are pulling up stakes, if my recent experiences closer to the airport are any indication.

[SamSpade]

I will try to say this as tactfully as possible.
Shrink.
Loss of pharmacy customers.
Other 1982 anchor was an Albertsons (based on roadside sign and building), vacant for a long time and now occupied by an Asian grocer/home store (Oriental Food Value). Albertsons did not relocate nearby after closure.
historically challenged neighborhood, probably 2nd poorest "zip code" in the state after Rockwood, which is a bit north and east of here
Median Home Value $194,800
Median Household Income $43,517
Median age in zip is 33, much younger than the typical Bi-Mart customer
As far east as you can get in Portland without being in Gresham, which likely led to slow police response and lack of patrols when business was closed for the day

Other tenants in this center:
laundromat
Mexican restaurant (3), one with lottery slots component/no minors
"mary jane" dispensary
vape shop
Burger King
Chinese restaurant with lottery slots
bar with lottery slots
deli with lottery slots
car wash
food cart pod with no tenants
child care center

[Super S]

This is not the greatest area, and the concentration of a vape shop, a marijuana dispensary, and a combination of other businesses each with lottery slots tends to draw a questionable type of crowd to the area.

Shrink should not be a huge factor here since Bi-Mart is a membership store, but, if they had anything on display outside in a questionable area, it's possible. Bi-Mart at times doesn't monitor the entrance all that closely, and I have seen instances at other locations where they have the gate blocked open due to lack of staff when it isn't busy, but the way it's supposed to work is that they buzz you in when you show your card. They can probably control who actually gets in the store if they stay on top of things, but I can see outside crowds driving people away.

[babs]

Bi-Mart seems to perform better in more rural areas than in urban environments. They haven't opened a store in Portland for many years. Their stores look like 1960s drug stores like Longs or the old Payless drug stores. They seem to be pretty successful in areas with less competition when they are the general store in the area. It's an interesting business that from what I understand is just marginally profitable yet is profitable enough to keep them around. There is nothing cutting edge here.

[storewanderer]

The loss of Bi Mart is unfortunate for that shopping center. They probably stayed open until the losses were so large that they couldn't sustain.

The shopping center has a dead vibe and the grocery anchor pulls in little traffic. The trees impact visibility from the main road. Bi Mart had security outside to watch the merchandise and watch the parking lot.