Several eateries recently called it quits in the Westfield Shopping Centre, including Peet’s Coffee, Amoura Café, Mr. Hana, and Bistro Burger.
Retailers Bebe and Zara are also closed while they remodel. (Update, 12:20pm: A Westfield spokesperson has confirmed that Zara will return. “Zara is expanding to two levels and undergoing a complete re-model. It will be a much larger and beautiful store.” Additionally, a Bebe representative has told SF Gate that it is also still inside the Westfield mall but has moved into a smaller space.)
We’ve received no official word as to why the closures happened; phone numbers at Amoura and Bistro have been disconnected (Bistro’s website is also down), and Peet’s didn’t reply to a request for comment.
In a recent email to Hoodline, a Westfield spokeswoman said the mall is “currently undergoing exciting changes.”
“There have been some recent departures, but there is strong interest in locating here,” said Rebecca Weill, marketing director for the mall. “It’s not unusual for a center of this size to experience turnover—fluctuations are a natural part of our business cycle as retailers open, close and reinvent themselves.”
We last checked in on Westfield when Bristol Farms closed in January. The popular theory behind the grocer's close: a 25 percent lease hike.
Weill declined to comment on the rumored hike, noting, “While we don’t discuss leasing details, we can tell you that San Francisco Centre is currently undergoing exciting changes, as several of our retailers expand, remodel, some retailers leave, and new retailers come into the Centre.”
Competition for Westfield is on its way down the street: The "6x6" mall on the 900 block of Market Street recently opened, although not with any retail tenants yet. The mall set developers back $150 million to build, and it boasts 250,000 square feet across six levels.
Are departing Westfield tenants attempting to flock to the new space? No response yet from the new mall’s developers, but we’ll let you know if we hear anything.
