Nordstrom will close both of its stores in downtown San Francisco over “the deteriorating situation” in the area, becoming the latest chain business to shutter a location in the crime-ridden metropolis.
The retailer announced the closures at its Westfield Mall store and another nearby Nordstrom Rack in a note to employees on Tuesday, stressing the downtown market in the city has “changed dramatically,” according to KGO-TV.
“We’ve spent more than 35 years serving customers in downtown San Francisco, building relationships with them and investing in the local community,” Nordstrom told impacted employees.
“But as many of you know, the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.”
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), owner of the Westfield Mall where one of the Nordstrom stores is closing, slammed the current conditions in the city and said retailers are leaving in droves because of unsafe conditions that have dragged on, despite the company pleading with city officials to take action.
“The planned closure of Nordstrom underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco,” a URW spokesperson said, KGO reported.
“A growing number of retailers and businesses are leaving the area due to the unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees, coupled with the fact that these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery of the area.”
“The current environment is not sustainable for the community, or businesses, and we are hopeful the City will implement the changes that are so urgently needed.”
The Westfield Mall’s Nordstrom will be closed by the end of August and the Nordstrom Rack on Market Street’s final day will be July 1, the San Francisco Business Journal reported.
There have been numerous instances of businesses struggling to deal with the high crime in the west coast city.
Twenty retailers have shut down stores in San Francisco’s Union Square since 2020, the San Francisco Standard reported.
Just last month, a recently opened Whole Foods Market closed over growing crime in the downtown area.
And while not taking the extreme step of closing, a San Francisco Target store has been putting all of its cosmetic and toiletry products on lockdown.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
