San Francisco Fillmore District Safeway closing after 11-month reprieve over safety, thefts
Following a nearly one-year reprieve amid outcry from nearby residents, the Safeway store in San Francisco's Fillmore District is set to permanently close in early 2025 after four decades in business.
A Safeway spokesperson confirmed to CBS News Bay Area Wednesday that the Webster Street location will close on or around Feb. 7.
"The store had initially been set to close earlier this year, but Safeway extended its operations for an additional 11 months to provide a greater transition period for the community," the spokesperson said. "We are proud of our 40-year history serving the Fillmore district and are thankful to the residents, customers, and community partners who have supported us over the years."
Safeway said it would continue to serve San Francisco residents at 15 other locations in the city.
The retailer said the decision to close the store was due to "ongoing concerns" about safety involving customers and employees, along with "persistent" issues involving thefts at the location.
In January, the city and Safeway reached an agreement to keep the store open through 2024, after residents expressed dismay about the closure and the sale of the site to Align Real Estate. The new owner is planning to build a new mixed-use development with housing and commercial space at the location.
President of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP Dr. Rev. Amos Brown told CBS News Bay Area following the Jan. 4 announcement that the closure was a case of history repeating itself in the Fillmore and would create a food desert.
"This community has been economically deprived for 50 years, and its time we stopped this kind of exclusionary and gentrifying activity," Brown said at the time.
In a statement Wednesday, Brown criticized the closure and again urged city officials to get involved.
"It is a decision that will be devastating to the Black residents of the Fillmore. At the same time, Safeway plans to sell the very valuable property it bought at below-market price 40 years ago, reaping an enormous profit for itself while leaving the Black community with nothing," Brown said. "It's time for the city to step in and prevent the closure and sale and bring Safeway to the table to give the community a voice in what happens next."
Brown also said that Safeway did not work with the local community in helping resolve issues with the location.
"The community has tried repeatedly to engage with the company to come up with workable solutions to these issues, with both the NAACP and faith leaders imploring them to do so. Safeway has never done so or even had the courtesy to meet with us to elaborate on their issues or begin a dialogue," he said.
The company plans to reassign all employees at the Webster Street location to other stores in San Francisco. Pharmacy customers who have prescriptions at the location will be able to transfer them to another Safeway or a location of their choice.
