By Lillian Tweten
Nordstrom permanently closed its San Francisco location after 35 years on Sunday because of increased crime, ABC7 News reported.
A Nordstrom employee at the San Francisco location partially attributed the closure to the rampant crime in the area, according to ABC7 News. Property crime, which includes shoplifting, rose by 57% in downtown San Francisco between 2019 and 2022, according to USA Today. (RELATED: Six Major US Cities Report Historic Increase In Violent Crime)
“It is definitely partially due to the crime in the area. COVID had a big impact,” a Nordstrom employee told ABC7.
End of an era: Nordstrom at Westfield officially closed at 5 pm after 30+ years on Market Street
Back in May, a spokesperson for Westfield mall and its owner said:
“The planned closure of Nordstrom underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco.” @KPIXtv pic.twitter.com/Y2d6Xu27nn
— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) August 28, 2023
A Nordstrom official attributed the San Francisco departure to decreased sales revenue and changing “dynamics” in the area, the Los Angeles Times reported. San Francisco currently has a retail vacancy rate of 6% in the first quarter of 2023 — the highest level since 2006 — and foot traffic has decreased as many shoppers have moved out of the area to work remotely.
“[T]he 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,” Jamie Nordstrom, the chief stores officer for the company, said, according to the LA Times.
Escalating crime in the area has driven away customers from San Francisco Centre mall, where the retail store is located, The San Francisco Standard 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,” Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the parent company for the mall, said in a May statement, according to the SF Standard.
More than 39 stores, including Whole Foods and Office Depot, have closed since 2020 in San Francisco’s Union Square area, according to CNN.
Nordstrom and San Francisco Centre Mall did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
