Grocery store chain Safeway has announced it will close one of its major locations in San Francisco in February over concerns that customers and employees were at risk of rampant theft and threats to their safety.
The closure, which was delayed by 11 months, will affect the Safeway store on Webster Street in San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood, which had been in business for 40 years.
The company said the store will close for good on February 7. according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Last month, shocking footage emerged of a California man assaulting a female employee at another Safeway location in San Francisco.
Safeway joins a list of major retailers that have closed stores in the city, which has been plagued in recent years by an alarming decline in quality of life as well as persistently high costs of living, rising taxes and increased incidents in organized retail. theft, homelessness and public drug use.
Adidas, Macy’s, Zara, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Sephora, Hollister, Aldo, J. Crew and Whole Foods are among the brand names that have announced store closures or have already reduced their footprint in the city.
Safeway, a subsidiary of the Albertsons supermarket conglomerate, told the Chronicle it was “proud” of its history of serving the city’s Fillmore and Japantown neighborhoods for four decades.
The company said it initially planned to close the store earlier this year, but postponed the move to “provide a longer transition period for the community.”
Safeway said the decision was made “due to ongoing concerns about employee and customer safety, as well as ongoing issues with theft.”
Locals in the area have regularly complained to police about car break-ins, assaults, loitering and illegal dumping, according to the Chronicle.
All of the store’s unionized employees will be transferred to several of the 15 supermarkets it operates in San Francisco, the company said.
“We remain committed to serving San Francisco at our 15 remaining locations, and ensuring our union employees can perform their jobs in safe work environments,” Safeway told the Chronicle.
Local residents waged 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 would negatively impact other businesses in the area while leaving residents with a shortage of grocery stores within walking distance.
Safeway told the Chronicle that it was “actively working on a transition plan to ensure a smooth and safe closing of the store while maintaining access and traffic flow to neighboring businesses.”
“These are difficult decisions we make as a company with more than 255 stores in Northern California, and we do not 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 and said the Safeway “has played a pivotal role in bringing the community together.”
Daniel Lurie, the mayor-elect and heir to Levi Strauss who defeated Breed, has pledged to increase the city’s police presence and close the open-air drug market. He will be sworn in as mayor on January 8.
The Post has sought comment from Safeway, Breed and Lurie.
