Target closing 3 Bay Area stores due to retail theft, company announces
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00:00 This is ABC 7 News.
00:02 The countdown is on in less than a month.
00:05 These three target stores in the Bay
00:08 Area will all be shut down and the reason
00:10 it's something we're seeing far too often.
00:13 Good evening. I'm Karina Nova and I'm
00:14 Dan Ashley. Thanks for joining us.
00:16 San Francisco, Oakland and Pittsburgh
00:17 will all lose a target store and
00:20 they'll lose them before Halloween.
00:21 These are the three local stores
00:23 target announced today will be closing.
00:25 They are part of nine store closures
00:27 across the country affecting Portland,
00:29 Seattle and New York City.
00:31 Target gave only one reason.
00:33 Retail fact ABC 7 News reporter
00:35 Luz Pena is live in the newsroom
00:37 and loose. This is really a big
00:38 deal for a lot of people.
00:40 Massive deal, Dan and Karina target
00:42 categorized its decision as a difficult
00:44 one saying it implemented multiple
00:46 strategies to try to operate these
00:48 stores safely but target says none
00:50 of those efforts succeeded.
00:52 In less than a month,
00:54 three Bay Area target retail
00:56 stores are set to close target
00:58 is located on Century Blvd in
01:00 Pittsburgh, Broadway and 27th in
01:02 Oakland and the one located on
01:05 Folsom in San Francisco gone
01:07 effective October 21st. I think
01:09 it is a disappointment,
01:11 especially because I moved around
01:13 the area to be close to shopping
01:16 centers and things like target
01:18 and get my groceries. Target
01:20 is blaming organized retail
01:22 theft for their closures,
01:24 saying in part we cannot continue
01:27 operating these stores because
01:28 theft and organized retail crime
01:30 are threatening the safety of
01:32 our team and guests and contributing
01:35 to unsustainable business performance.
01:37 I see them when they are in the front
01:40 and they take it. They are taking
01:42 things out of their bags. Yeah,
01:45 how often do you see that here?
01:47 I have seen it at least three times
01:50 and I don't come here that often,
01:52 so I know there is. It's bad.
01:55 Rows of tents surround the area
01:57 where target on Folsom is located.
01:59 Residents are not surprised by
02:01 targets decision here pointing
02:02 to a decline in safety, so I'm
02:05 not really sure why I like.
02:07 Security doesn't do something about it.
02:09 I mean, I always see them inside
02:12 not doing anything. The closure of
02:13 these stores go beyond retail convenience.
02:16 Lynette Gibson McElhaney is a former
02:18 Oakland Council member who says this
02:20 is a devastating loss for the community.
02:22 She worked for four years to convince
02:24 Target to open the store.
02:26 They're now closing here.
02:27 Target was a big was a big fish for us.
02:30 We now lost the CVS and Target,
02:33 which is where people were being
02:35 directed in San Francisco.
02:36 Supervisor Matt Dorsey believes
02:37 closures will continue unless
02:39 more police officers are hired.
02:41 It breaks my heart.
02:42 It's because we've seen this a lot in.
02:44 Whether it's the mid market area or
02:47 the Whole Foods that closed in my
02:49 neighborhood or the Westfield Mall,
02:51 he's proposing a charter amendment
02:52 to the SFPD in five years.
02:54 What can be done today?
02:56 What can San Francisco do today to
02:58 prevent more stores from closing?
03:00 I I honestly wish I had better
03:02 answers on near term solutions,
03:04 but time is ticking for residents
03:06 like Yolanda who's seen her
03:07 city change before her eyes.
03:09 It takes a toll in the community.
03:11 To be honest with you,
03:13 it's San Francisco.
03:14 Yeah, it's not what it used to be.
03:19 And Oakland's mayor responded to the
03:21 closure of target in her city by
03:23 saying she is disappointed by the
03:25 news and her goal is to continue
03:27 working in partnership with members
03:28 of the business community to help
03:30 ensure their safety and success in
03:32 the city. Now there are still 32
03:34 target stores in the San Francisco,
03:36 Oakland market in the newsroom.
03:38 Luz Pena ABC 7 News lose quick question.
03:40 What are some of the safety
03:42 strategies target implemented
03:43 to prevent this from happening?
03:45 Well, Karina targets team said
03:47 they made significant investments
03:48 to keep stores safe, including
03:50 hiring private security guards,
03:51 training their employees to
03:52 deescalate potential safety issues.
03:54 They also partner with the US
03:56 Department of Homeland Security
03:57 to combat retail theft and
03:59 track organized crime groups.
04:00 But it seems like it wasn't enough.
04:03 Alright, lose.
04:03 Thank you for that reporting.
04:06 [BLANK_AUDIO]