Whole Foods Shuts San Francisco Flagship Store Over Worker Safety Concerns — Retail Bum

Whole Foods has temporarily closed its flagship location in San Francisco, citing the safety of its workers.

Although crime rates in San Francisco have been on a decline for the past six years, they have climbed by 23% in just the past two years, with several stores being hit by armed robbers. This uptick in crime rate has prompted national retailers to vocalize their concerns, hire additional security, and lock up everyday household products such as toothpaste and deodorant behind shelves.

“Our neighborhood waited a long time for this supermarket, but we’re also well aware of problems they’ve experienced with drug-related retail theft, adjacent drug markets, and the many safety issues related to them,” said San Francisco Board of Supervisors member Matt Dorsey, who expressed his disappointment in the store’s closure.

The 65,000-square-foot store, one of the largest in downtown San Francisco, was opened last year with much fanfare. It sold 3,700 local products, many of which were a nod to the culture and history of the city. However, despite its size and popularity, the store was forced to reduce its operating hours last year following incidents relating to thefts and drug use in its bathrooms.

Whole Foods is far from being the only retailer experiencing these difficulties. In October 2022, outdoor clothing retailer Cotopaxi temporarily shut down its San Francisco store due to large-scale thefts in the city that put its workers at risk, according to CNN.

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on April 12, 2023.