https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/bloomingdales-layoffs-san-francisco-20146565.php
Retail giant Bloomingdale’s will lay off 164 employees with the closure of its flagship store in San Francisco’s largest mall, according to a WARN notice filed with the California Employment Development Department.
The closure of the store, which operated in the heart of San Francisco for nearly two decades, is expected by the end of March.
The 330,000-square-foot location at 845 Market St. is the largest remaining anchor in the San Francisco Centre mall, which has struggled with declining foot traffic and retailer departures in recent years.
Bloomingdale’s closure follows the 2023 exit of Nordstrom, another major tenant, and adds to the mounting challenges facing the once bustling shopping center.
“We are saddened to confirm that Bloomingdale’s will officially close its doors in Union Square, San Francisco,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement last month. “While we are committed to this decision, Bloomingdale’s doors will remain open until late spring 2025.”
The decision was part of a broader shift within Macy’s, which owns Bloomingdale’s, as the company focuses on expanding its luxury and beauty brands.
Macy’s has also been working to close underperforming stores, with a national plan to shutter 150 locations by 2026.
The layoffs at the San Francisco Centre will impact employees at the store, with the city’s retail sector continuing to feel the effects of the post-pandemic recovery.
The loss of Bloomingdale’s follows the departure of several other retailers from the mall, including Hollister, Adidas and J.Crew.
The mall’s owners, Westfield and Brookfield, defaulted on their mortgage in 2023, leaving a court-appointed receiver to manage leasing efforts.