Telecommunications company T-Mobile has quietly closed down its flagship store in San Francisco, amid decreased foot traffic and the city's worsening crime rate.
According to the Post Millennial, T-Mobile closed its two-level flagship store at the upscale Union Square area back in April. An employee assigned to T-Mobile's Mission Street location attested to the closure, which left 17,000 square feet of retail space vacant.
A spokesperson for the telecom firm said in a statement to SFGATE that the closure of the Union Square location was part of an effort to reshape T-Mobile's retail strategy. The spokesperson added that affected employees "have been offered roles within the company" at other locations.
T-Mobile's flagship store used to be located at the 1 Stockton building prior to the closure. Before T-Mobile, however, it served as the spacious flagship store for Apple. The company co-founded by Steve Jobs later moved its flagship store to its current location on Post Street.
According to the National Retail Federation's 2022 retail security survey, the San Francisco/Oakland area ranked No. 2 among areas hard hit by theft in 2020 and 2021, just behind Los Angeles. Recent data from the Census Bureau also revealed that almost eight percent of current San Francisco residents plan to move elsewhere within the next year.
Other high-profile establishments close down in SF
T-Mobile is the latest establishment that has permanently closed its doors in San Francisco. Establishments such as the Disney Store, Armani Exchange and CB2 have also vacated their San Francisco locations. Clearance outlet Saks Off Fifth has also announced its intent to close its Market Street location this fall after eight years in business.
Earlier, the department store chain Nordstrom and grocery chain Whole Foods Market shuttered their locations at the City by the Bay.
Jamie Nordstrom, chief stores officer of the department store chain, confirmed the closure of its Westfield San Francisco Center location in a May 2 letter – marking the end of a 35-year operation in the city. "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," he wrote.
According to the San Francisco Standard, the Westfield location will close at the end of August while a nearby Nordstrom Rack will close on July 1. Together, the closures will free up 375,000 square feet of retail space. (Related: Nordstrom to leave downtown San Francisco after 35 years due to city's deteriorating conditions of high violence and crime.)
"The planned closure of Nordstrom underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco," France-based Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, the owner of the Westfield mall, said in a statement.
"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.”
Back in April, Whole Foods Market was forced to close down its flagship Trinity Place location just 13 months after it opened. Management of the grocery chain owned by Amazon's Jeff Bezos cited safety concerns as a major reason for the decision to shut down the store.
"To ensure the safety of our team members, we have made the difficult decision to close the Trinity store for the time being," a spokesperson for Whole Foods told Newsweek. "All team members will be transferred to one of our nearby locations."
An anonymous Whole Foods manager told the Standard that back in October 2022, the store had already shortened its business hours as it struggled to deal with high levels of retail theft. In November 2022, management was forced to implement stricter rules around access to restrooms after staff discovered syringes and pipes drug users left behind.
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Watch this clip from the Fox News program "The Five" about Whole Foods permanently closing its Trinity Place location.
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