T-Mobile’s Union Square flagship store has closed permanently, leaving another vacancy in downtown San Francisco.
A sign on the front doors of the two-story, 17,000-square-foot space at 1 Stockton St. now directs customers to the wireless carrier’s nearby stores at Mission and Market Streets, the San Francisco Business Times first reported. A T-Mobile spokesman did not immediately respond to SFGATE’s request for more information about the closure, but a T-Mobile employee on Mission Street confirmed it happened about a month ago and that the employees “probably moved to other stores.” would be transferred.”
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The building previously served as a lavish flagship store for Apple, which later moved to its current Post Street location, as well as a Sephora and tacky movie memorabilia restaurant Planet Hollywood, both of which eventually closed.
Records show that 1 Stockton was sold to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation in 2013 for US$50 million.
The news follows last week’s closure announcements of Saks Off 5th on Market Street, which will close in the fall after eight years in business, as well as the Nordstrom at Westfield San Francisco Center and the Nordstrom Rack on Market Street, both in the will be near at the end of August and have been in operation for around 35 and nine years respectively. In a statement to SFGATE, Nordstrom said it’s doing it because “the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.” “
Meanwhile, a Westfield spokesperson told SFGATE that “a growing number of retailers and businesses are leaving the area due to the unsafe conditions for customers, retailers and employees, coupled with the fact that these significant issues are preventing an economic recovery for the area.”
Other stores that have recently cleared the same block include the Disney Store, Armani Exchange and CB2. However, some openings are on the horizon, including the downtown Ikea mall, and a city program launched last month by San Francisco Mayor London Breed aims to reduce some of the rising vacancy rates.
Last week, Breed also proposed legislation that would change the city’s planning and building codes in hopes of streamlining the permitting process and requirements for converting existing office buildings into apartments, and lifting restrictions to allow for a wider variety of businesses and activities such as “Indoor and outdoor entertainment” and “flexible retail workspaces” for operations in downtown San Francisco.
“The challenges Downtown faces requires that we envision what is possible and lay the foundation for a stronger, more resilient future,” Breed said in a statement released by her office on Thursday. “By working with President Peskin and the Board, we can create more opportunities to fill our vacant buildings, whether to create housing or to make it easier to fill office and retail space. These changes should not be something that requires granting exceptions through lengthy paperwork and exhaustive public hearings. We need to simplify the process to make our buildings active and full.”
