Walmart announced in February that it will close its last two stores in the city of Portland, Oregon, by March 24.
Though the retailer did not say whether relentless shoplifting was a factor in shuttering the locations, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon warned last year that an uptick in retail theft could lead to store closures or higher prices.
“Theft is an issue. It’s higher than what it has historically been,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in December.
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“We’ve got safety measures, security measures that we’ve put in place. It is really city by city, location by location, its store managers working with local law enforcement,” he said of how the company deals with theft and other crimes….