after-a-year,-whole-foods-is-closing-its-flagship-location-in-san-francisco,-citing-crimes

A sizable whole foods store that just opened in downtown San Francisco last year is momentarily closing. The business claimed that it had to close due to the area’s rife crime.

To ensure “the safety” of its staff, the nearly 65,000-square-foot Trinity Place location in the city’s Mid-Market neighborhood closed its doors on Monday, according to a Whole Foods spokesman. Whole Foods did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to the store’s closure, but the spokesperson did say that it was a “difficult decision to close the Trinity store for the time being.” Affected workers will be transferred to nearby businesses.

According to the spokesman, the store at 8th and Market Streets won’t be open on Tuesday. The website for the store has also vanished.

“Our neighborhood has been waiting for this supermarket for a long time, but we are also aware of the struggles they have experienced with retail drug theft, adjacent drug markets and the many security issues that come with it,” Dorsey wrote.

Property crimes in San Francisco have garnered national attention due to several high-profile videos of thieves in action. Though still well below 2017 levels, the city saw a 23% increase in property crime between 2020 and 2022, with spikes in burglaries and thefts leading the increase, according to data from the San Francisco Police Department.