Editing Bi-Mart

{{short description|American retail store chain}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Bi-Mart
| logo = Bi-Mart.svg
| image = 2017-08-26 Scappoose Bi-Mart.jpg
| image_caption = Bi-Mart in [[Scappoose, Oregon]]
| type = [[Privately held company|Private]]
| foundation = {{sda|1955}}, [[Yakima, Washington]], U.S.
| location = [[Eugene, Oregon]]
| locations = 80 Bi-Mart locations, 5 Cascade Farm and Outdoor locations
| key_people = Marty Smith (CEO)<br />Richard Truett (president & co-CEO)<br />Chris Peddicord (vice president)<br />Don Lerber<br />{{small|(Director of Advertising)}}
| industry = [[Retail]]
| revenue = {{increase}} {{US$|878 million}}
| revenue_year = 2021
| num_employees = {{increase}} 3,200
| num_employees_year = 2021
| products = Clothing, footwear, housewares, sporting goods, automotive, hardware, toys, electronics, foods, beer, seasonal goods
| homepage = {{url|http://www.bimart.com/}}
}}
'''Bi-Mart''' is an [[employee-owned corporation|employee-owned]] chain of retailers located in the western U.S. [[U.S. state|states]] of [[Oregon]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and [[Idaho]].<ref name="Bi-Mart website About2">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.bimart.com/about.aspx
 | title = About Bi-Mart
 | access-date = 2012-01-07
}}</ref> A typical Bi-Mart houses merchandise includes electronics and small appliances, housewares, hardware and power tools, sporting goods, automotive, apparel, canned and packaged food, personal care products, and, through the end of 2021, a pharmacy at many locations. The median size of a Bi-Mart store is {{convert|31000|sqft|sqm}}.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.sandypost.com/news/story_2nd.php?story_id=120113024757998700
 | title = Bi-Mart coming to town? Commercial zone's biggest hole may be filled soon
 | author = Marcus Hathcock
 | work = Sandy Post
 | orig-year = original January 23, 2008
 | date = October 30, 2009
 | access-date = 2012-01-07
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120312035151/http://www.sandypost.com/news/story_2nd.php?story_id=120113024757998700
 | archive-date = March 12, 2012
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> As of January 2023, there are 75 store locations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Store Locator - Bi-Mart |url=https://www.bimart.com/store-locator |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=www.bimart.com}}</ref> 
Like [[Costco]] and [[Sam's Club]], Bi-Mart stores are membership stores; unlike those chains, its members-only policy started as a workaround to [[fair trade law]]s established in the United States in the 1930s such as the Miller-Tydings Act and those related to [[suggested retail price]]s.<ref name = "Bi-Mart website About2"/> Membership for an entire family costs $5 and never expires.

==History==
[[File:Bi-Mart store.jpg|thumb|A typical Bi-Mart store in [[Ontario, Oregon]]]]

The company was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in [[Eugene, Oregon]]. Bi-Mart's first store opened in [[Yakima, Washington]], in 1955, but it did not open a second store until 1962. In 1976, Bi-Mart was bought by [[Pay 'n Save]], which itself was acquired by [[Thrifty PayLess|Thrifty Corporation]] in 1984. It was subsequently merged into the former [[Kmart (United States)|Kmart]] subsidiary [[Thrifty PayLess|PayLess Drug]], and finally purchased by [[Rite Aid]] in 1996.

In 1997, Bi-Mart's management and Endeavour Capital (a Portland-based [[venture capital]] firm) bought the company;<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.endeavourcapital.com/printPortfolio.html
 | title = Endeavour Capital Portfolio Overview
 | publisher = Endeavour Capital
 | access-date = 2012-01-07
 | url-status = dead
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111230132959/http://www.endeavourcapital.com/printPortfolio.html
 | archive-date = 2011-12-30
 }}</ref> they sold it to employees on March 1, 2004, for $94 million, which included $12.5 million contributed from the [[401(k)]] plan. Bi-Mart is the sole surviving store name of former Pay 'n Save subsidiaries. ([[Schucks Auto Supply]] retained its name until acquired by [[O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.]] and rebranded in 2010.)

In October 2003, Bi-Mart announced it was expanding eastward. Eight stores were planned with the first store in [[Havre, Montana]]. The second store opened three years later in [[Weiser, Idaho]]. In 2006, Bi-Mart exited the [[Montana]] market due to poor sales.

==Pharmacy closures==

In 2019, Bi-Mart announced the closure of pharmacies at their [[East Wenatchee, Washington]] location,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/local/bi-mart-closes-its-pharmacy-transfers-customers-to-walgreens/article_0882d2f5-e68b-5dc0-8b46-91fa9f24b7e2.html | title=Bi-Mart closes its pharmacy, transfers customers to Walgreens | first=Reilly | last=Kneedler | date=Feb 25, 2019  |access-date=2019-10-26 | work=[[The Wenatchee World]]}}</ref> two locations in [[Vancouver, Washington]], and their location in [[Scappoose, Oregon]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/feb/14/bi-mart-to-close-pharmacies-at-its-2-vancouver-area-stores/| title=Bi-Mart to close pharmacies at its 2 Vancouver-area stores |date=February 14, 2019 |access-date=2019-10-26 | first=Anthony | last=Macuk | work=[[The Columbian]]}}</ref> Bi-Mart announced in November 2019 that it would also close pharmacies at an additional 13 stores in the Portland area.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.kptv.com/news/bi-mart-ending-pharmacy-services-at-stores-around-portland-area/article_07f37dbc-0269-11ea-a3f6-575e5c40de2c.html| title = Bi-Mart ending pharmacy services at stores around Portland area {{!}} Local News {{!}} kptv.com}} </ref> The stores affected by the pharmacy closures were to remain open.

On September 30, 2021, Bi-Mart announced that they would close most of their remaining in-store pharmacies, and prescription files would be transferred to nearby [[Walgreens]] locations. In select areas where there was no Walgreens nearby, Walgreens was to take over and operate the existing pharmacy departments inside those Bi-Mart locations. The locations that retained a pharmacy and operate under Walgreens ownership are Monmouth, Eugene (18th Ave), Stayton, Klamath Falls, (53rd St), La Pine, Prineville, and Weiser, ID.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2021/09/bi-mart-will-close-most-in-store-pharmacies-transfer-customers-prescription-files-to-walgreens.html | title=Bi-Mart will close most in-store pharmacies, transfer customers’ prescription files to Walgreens | first=Jamie | last=Goldberg | date=September 30, 2021 | work=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref>

==Cascade Farm and Outdoor==

In 2014, Bi-Mart opened its first location under the Cascade Farm and Outdoor name in [[Walla Walla, Washington]]. Bi-Mart announced that they were looking at empty buildings in a variety of locations for future stores.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2014/05/bi-mart_goes_a_little_bit_more.html| title=Bi-Mart goes a little bit more country with farm and outdoor division | first=Mike | last=Francis |date= May 13, 2014 |access-date=2019-10-26 | work=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref> Additional locations have since opened in [[Coos Bay, Oregon]], [[Keizer, Oregon]], and [[Springfield, Oregon]].<ref>{{url|http://www.cascadefarmandoutdoor.com/}}</ref> Unlike Bi-Mart's regular stores, a membership is not required to shop at Cascade Farm and Outdoor.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.bimart.com/}}
*[http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/110328827295300.xml Smaller and steady win the race], a December 2004 article from ''[[The Oregonian]]''

{{ORCompanies}}

[[Category:Companies based in Eugene, Oregon]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 1955]]
[[Category:Discount stores of the United States]]
[[Category:Economy of the Northwestern United States]]
[[Category:Employee-owned companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Pay 'n Save]]
[[Category:1955 establishments in Oregon]]