Safeway to Shutter Store in SF’s Fillmore Because of Theft

Shoplifters are forcing a Safeway to close its doors in San Francisco’s Fillmore District.

The Pleasanton-based grocery chain announced it would close its supermarket at 1335 Webster Street because of immediate concerns about theft and public safety, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The division of Idaho-based Albertsons Companies had planned to close the troubled store in March, but had “extended its operations … to provide a greater transition period for the community,” according to a letter to Mayor London Breed.

In October, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the Neighborhood Grocery Protection Act, which requires full-service supermarkets to give six months notice before closure and meet with city officials to explore alternatives to closing. The law was passed because of the Safeway in Fillmore.

The retail chain said its decision to close the supermarket, which served as an anchor in the historically Black neighborhood for 40 years, was made “due to ongoing concerns about associate and customer safety, as well as persistent issues with theft.”

Last year, Safeway generated controversy by blasting classical music to deter loitering, and shutting its self-serve checkouts to reduce theft.

Rev. Erris Edgerly of the Fillmore United Alliance objected to a lack of warning. He said the closure would impact businesses in Fillmore, as customers use the Safeway parking lot to shop at neighborhood stores.

In January, Safeway agreed to sell the 3.7-acre property to locally based Align Real Estate for an undisclosed price. The developer has proposed a mixed-use development of 1,000 homes.

It’s not clear whether its offer to buy the property has closed. The closest Safeway store is in the Castro, more than a mile away.

Safeway said 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,” the store said in a statement. “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.”

Last month, Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the Fillmore District, urged Breed to use eminent domain to take control of the Safeway property, in order to redevelop it into affordable housing.

Preston, who with Breed was pushed out of office in the November election, has said that along with affordable housing, future redevelopment of the site should include a grocery store.

Closing the store “with no replacement is cruel,” Preston said in a statement. “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.”

— Dana Bartholomew