As it shuts down local operations, a food distributor based in Michigan intends to fire 96 workers in Northeast Portland over the course of the next two months.
On Tuesday, state workforce officials were informed of the impending closure by Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors, which is locally referred to as Western Boxed Meat. It stated that it will continue to pay employees until its warehouse fully closes on April 21.
Citing increased expenses and a declining market for its goods, Harvest Sherwood announced that it is closing all of its sites nationwide. The business claimed that although it had been looking for money to delay or prevent the shutdown, it was financially unable to continue operating.
Since 2021, the unemployment rate in Multnomah County and Oregon has been close to or below 4%, which is approaching historic lows. The number of job openings in Oregon, however, dropped below 50,000 last fall for the first time since 2020, indicating that the labor market has been becoming softer in recent months.
Update: Harvest Sherwood’s additional comments have been added.
–Mike Rogoway writes on the business and technology in Oregon. His email address is [email protected].
