Nordstrom (Seattle) is closing its two stores in downtown San Francisco, CNN reports. The locations include a 312,000-square-foot, five-floor Nordstrom department store in the Westfield San Francisco Centre mall, and a Rack, its recently rerolled discount outlet, across the street on Market Street. Both locations will close in the summer.
in a memo to employees, the retailer said it’s letting the stores’ leases expire.
“Decisions like this are never easy, and this one has been especially difficult,” wrote Jamie Nordstrom, Nordstrom’s Chief Stores Officer, in a memo obtained by CNN. “But as many of you know, 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.”
A mall spokesperson told CNN affiliate KGO-TV that Nordstrom’s closure “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,” the mall said.
The move leaves Nordstrom with five Nordstroms Racks and three Nordstroms around the Bay Area.
Nordstrom’s exit is the latest blow for central San Francisco, which has seen several well-known close. Most recently, a Whole Foods store that opened just a year ago announced it was temporarily closing because of worker safety. The San Francisco Standard, an independent news website, has tracked 20 closures of major stores since 2020, including Anthropologie, Office Depot and CB2.