Bay Area/ San Francisco
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Published on January 21, 2025
Bloomingdale's to Bid Farewell to Flagship Store at San Francisco's Westfield CentreSource: Google Street View

Bloomingdale's is shuttering its flagship store at the Westfield San Francisco Centre, a significant move after nearly 20 years in the city's shopping scene. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, the department store chain confirmed that it plans to close the location by late spring. "We are saddened to confirm that Bloomingdale's will officially close its doors in Union Square," said Jennifer Chadroff, a company spokeswoman. However, she encouraged customers to visit other Palo Alto and San Jose stores.

Mayor Daniel Lurie reacted to the closure by maintaining an optimistic outlook for the city's future. Despite taking the news hard, he pointed out the various promising developments around San Francisco. "San Francisco has green shoots everywhere, and we continue to work towards the revitalization of the city," Lurie told KTVU.

Given that its parent company, Macy's, has also been cutting back, with plans to shutter 150 stores by 2026, the closure doesn't come as a complete shock. Macy's had previously announced it would be closing underproductive stores to refocus on profitable sales growth and confirmed the forthcoming closure of its own Union Square location, as per KTVU.

The axing of Bloomingdale's adds to the woes of the struggling San Francisco Centre mall, which has seen a slew of departures from retailers since the pandemic started. "I feel like we’re on a good momentum," said Kazuko Morgan, a veteran retail broker, "People are very optimistic about San Francisco. But obviously, if Bloomingdale’s is pulling out, that would be awful," she said, pointing out hoping that Bloomingdale’s would take over the vacated Macy's spot in an interview with San Francisco Chronicle. After Nordstrom and other high-profile stores are closed, a ray of hope lies in negotiations with a theater operator to take over the mall's empty theater space.