Safeway, a grocery chain under Albertsons Companies, reportedly sent a letter on Tuesday to San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D), notifying her of the company’s intent to shut down one of its locations because of “persistent” theft and safety issues.
The letter, reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle, told Breed that Safeway would close its location on Webster Street in Fillmore, a neighborhood in San Francisco, on February 7.
‘Unfortunately, the challenges we face are too great to overcome.’
The grocery store reportedly kept the location open for an additional 11 months “to provide a greater transition period for the community.”
The store location, which has been open for four decades, became the latest in a long line of retailers fleeing the San Francisco area because of rampant theft.
Safeway’s letter to Breed cited “ongoing concerns about associate and customer safety, as well as persistent issues with theft.”
Last year, the grocery store removed its self-checkout kiosks to reduce retail theft.
It noted that all the store’s employees will be assigned to one of its other 15 remaining San Francisco locations.
According to the Chronicle, the San Francisco Police Department has many incident reports for the store, including complaints regarding car break-ins, assaults, loitering, and illegal dumping.
Safeway stated it is “actively working on a transition plan to ensure a smooth and secure closure of the store, while allowing for continued access and traffic flow to neighboring businesses.”
“These are difficult decisions we make as a business with more than 255 stores across Northern California, and we do not take it lightly,” it continued. “We appreciate the time and resources you’ve invested in trying to help us find a way to stay open, but unfortunately, the challenges we face are too great to overcome.”
Breed responded to the announcement by stating that she was “saddened” but thanked Safeway for delaying its close date by nearly a year.
She said San Francisco is committed to ensuring “our residents and seniors continue to have access to healthy food, banking, and pharmaceutical needs and will be working closely with the community, local businesses, and commercial property owners to attract these vital services to existing storefront vacancies.”
San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston has encouraged Breed to acquire the property through eminent domain and turn it into affordable housing.
Safeway reached an agreement to sell the plaza to Align Real Estate, which aims to turn the property into a mixed-use space with housing and retail shops.
Preston told the Chronicle that closing down the grocery store “with no replacement is cruel.”
“I continue to believe that the best path forward to guarantee a future grocery store and affordable housing on this former redevelopment site is for the city to commence negotiations to acquire the site,” he stated.
Preston noted that Breed’s office has not responded to his request to seize control of the property.
Last month, leftist Mayor Breed, who has supported the “defund the police” movement and backed soft-on-crime initiatives, was defeated in her re-election bid by Democratic challenger Daniel Lurie, an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune. Lurie’s campaign focused on a commitment to reclaiming public safety.
Safeway did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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