Grocery wholesaler and retailer Supervalu plans to begin long-anticipated layoffs at a Clackamas County warehouse in March, eliminating 280 jobs by July 4, according to a letter the company sent to state employment officials Thursday.
The layoffs have been planned for nearly a year. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported last February that Supervalu would close the former United Grocers warehouse near Milwaukie and two others in the Puget Sound area.
It’s replacing them with two huge warehouses in Washington, one in Ridgefield and another in Centralia.
Supervalu didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some longtime employees at the Clackamas County facility will retire or take new jobs in Fred Meyer, Safeway and Albertsons warehouses, Blackburn said. He said younger workers may retrain, but he was optimistic they will find new jobs.
“These skilled employees that are reliable, talented people are probably in very high demand,” Blackburn said.
