Current Events > Nordstrom is closing both of its San Francisco stores.

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://news.yahoo.com/nordstrom-close-both-san-francisco-235623318.html

Nordstrom to Close Both San Francisco Stores amid Rampant Crime

Nordstrom will close both of its San Francisco stores amid rampant crime making it dangerous and difficult to do business in the city.

One location is in the Westfield mall, which will close at the end of August, and another is a Nordstrom Rack downtown, which will close on July 1, the San Francisco Standard reported.

The companys chief stores officer notified employees in an email that 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.

Crime and homelessness concerns were not cited as the precipitating factors, but they have been afflicting San Francisco for many months. The owner of the Westfield mall, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, told the publication that the department stores exit from the city underscores the deteriorating situation in Downtown San Francisco.

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, he said.

Rodamco-Westfield added that he had been pleading with local leaders for years to crackdown on the lawlessness, which has been stifling commerce and making it unsafe for tourism.

While Nordstrom is withdrawing from San Francisco, it is expanding into other cities across the state, opening five new Nordstrom Rack stores, the statement noted.

A spokesperson for Mayor London Breeds office said the city has implemented a number of public-safety measures, such as to station two police officers inside the Westfield Mall as well as community ambassadors in the neighborhood.

The City worked with [Westfield] to approve an office allocation and plan to reduce Nordstroms square footage and bring in additional office uses to the property. This plan made it through the Planning Commission but no further steps were taken on this plan, the spokesperson told the outlet. Westfield then began speaking about other options for redevelopment. The City has been eager to get a concrete plan from them that we could explore, however, they never brought us anything for review.

In April, the Whole Foods in downtown San Francisco closed its doors just one year after opening due to deteriorating street conditions, namely increased drug use and crime, nearby. A Whole Foods spokesperson told the San Francisco Standard that the store could not ensure the safety of the staff.

Just a week before that announcement, CashApp founder Bob Lee was fatally stabbed in the city...

cashapp founder bob lee was murdered by a lunatic he actually knew, not some random crime wave

BurmesePenguin posted...

Fire this writer?

"Its not because of the bums and the crime. Its because the foot traffic has been impacted!"

Could it be that the foot traffic is impacted by all the bums and crime?