The Whole Foods Market in Downtown San Francisco has shut down just 13 months after opening, The San Francisco Standard reports. The action comes on the heels of store slashing its operating hours due to “high theft” and hostile visitors since last October, according to one of the store’s managers.
The closure may not be permanent.
“We are closing our Trinity location only for the time being,” a Whole Foods spokesperson said in a statement. “If we feel we can ensure the safety of our team members in the store, we will evaluate a reopening of our Trinity location.”
City Supervisor Matt Dorsey, whose district includes the Whole Foods Market, said he was “incredibly disappointed” by the store’s shutdown in a Twitter thread.
Dorsey also he will introduce new legislation with Supervisor Catherine Stefani that would amend the City Charter to get the Police Department fully staffed within five years.
The Whole Foods Store, with nearly 65,000 square feet of space, opened in March 2020.
The grocer and San Francisco are not alone in wrestling with such problems. For example, Portland, Ore., has seen a crime-related exodus of retailers in recent years that includes Walmart, Nike and Cracker Barrel.