Headlines

Nintendo Plans Store in SF’s Union Square

Source: Powell Street locale a possibility for new store in struggling shopping district

Published

4 weeks ago

May 28, 2024

VMSD Staff

Nintendo Plans Store in SF’s Union Square — Nintendo’s only other U.S. store – in New York – has been in operation for 19 years. Photo: J2R/iStock.com

Nintendo’s only other U.S. store – in New York – has been in operation for 19 years. Photo: J2R/iStock.com

Nintendo of America (Redmond, Wash.) has announced plans to open a store in San Francisco’s Union Square next year. The gaming company did not disclose a specific site for the store in the high-profile shopping district, which has seen the exodus of several high-profile retailers in recent years owing to a variety of problems, including waves of smash-and-grab heists.

The new store will provide “a way for a wide range of visitors from near and far to experience the world of Nintendo, its products and characters,” the company said in a brief statement.

A Union Square real estate source told The San Francisco Standard that the company might occupy one of the vacant Powell Street storefronts that line the city’s cable car line. The Standard also reported that overall vacancy rate in Union Square hit a new peak of 20.6 percent last quarter, according to real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.

In a posting on X, Mayor London Breed wrote, “This is great news for Union Square and fans from everywhere! We’re excited for San Francisco’s future and look forward to welcoming this iconic brand to our city.”

The store will be Nintendo’s second in the U.S., joining a flagship in New York that opened in 2005.

VMSD Staff

Drawing on more than 125 years of history serving the retail design market, VMSD magazine provides retail professionals with the most up-to-date, innovative retail design ideas and industry news through its industry-leading magazine, website, social media channels and bulletins.

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