The Safeway supermarket chain has announced it will close one of its flagship locations in San Francisco in February due to customer and employee concerns. There was rampant theft and their safety was threatened.
The 11-month postponement will affect the Safeway store on Webster Street in the Fillmore section of San Francisco, which had been in operation for the past 40 years.
The company said the store would close permanently on February 7. According to the San Francisco Chronicle.
last month, Shocking pictures of a California man surfaced An attack on a female employee at a different Safeway location in San Francisco.
Safeway joins the list of big-name retailers that have closed stores in the city, who is suffering In recent years by a Alarming decline in quality of life Also extremely high cost of living, rising taxes etc. Increase in incidents of organized retail theftHomelessness and public drug use.
Adidas, Macy’s, Zara, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Sephora, Hollister, Aldo, J. Crew and Whole Foods are among the brand names. who have either announced store closures Or who have already reduced their influence in the city.
Safeway, a subsidiary of Albertsons Supermarket Group, told the Chronicle it is “proud” of its history of serving the city’s Fillmore and Japantown neighborhoods over four decades.
The company said it initially intended to close the stores earlier this year, but postponed the move to “provide a greater transition period for the community.”
Safeway said the decision was made “due to ongoing concerns about associate and customer safety, as well as persistent problems of theft.”
According to the Chronicle, locals in the area have often complained to the police about car vandalism, assault, loitering and illegal dumping.
The company said all of the store’s unionized employees would be reassigned to several of the 15 supermarkets it operates throughout San Francisco.
“We are committed to serving San Francisco at our remaining 15 locations, and to ensuring that our unionized workforce can do their jobs in a safe and secure work environment,” Safeway told the Chronicle.
Residents of the neighborhood mounted a fierce public campaign to lobby the company not to close the store in March, as originally intended.
Local leaders have warned that Safeway’s departure will adversely affect other businesses in the area, while residents will lack grocery stores within walking distance.
Safeway told the Chronicle that it was “actively working on a transition plan to ensure a smooth and safe closure of the store, while allowing continued access and traffic flow to neighboring businesses.”
“As a business with more than 255 stores in Northern California, we make these difficult decisions and we don’t take them lightly,” the store said in a statement.
“We appreciate the time and resources you have invested in helping us find a way to stay open, but unfortunately, the challenges we face are too great to overcome “
Outgoing San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she was “saddened” by the announcement, adding that Safeway “has played a central role in bringing the community together.”
Daniel Lurie, Elected mayor and Levi Strauss heir who defeated BreedHas promised to increase police presence in the city and shut down open-air drug markets. He will take oath as mayor on January 8.
The post sought comment from Safeway, Breed and Lurie.
(Tags to translate) business
