Popular mall retailer permanently closing location as rivals JCrew and Nordstrom already abandoned the mall months ago

A PROMINENT retailer is closing a shopping center that has seen other competitors flee in recent months.

The company confirmed the store’s closure on Monday, following a tense legal battle with the mall last year.

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American Eagle Outfitters will permanently close its Emporium Center San Francisco location next month, according to a document submitted to the California Employment Development Department.

The final date of operation is set for June 12, 2024.

At least 52 American Eagle store employees will lose their jobs.

It had a lease with the mall that lasted until January 31, 2028, which means it was terminated almost four years earlier, due to SFGate.

The American Eagle store at the mall is the brand’s only location in San Francisco.

No signs of closure have been seen outside the store yet.

The writing was apparently on the wall for American Eagle to leave the mall, formally known as Westfield San Francisco Center, after filing suit against it in 2023.

American Eagle stated that the mall “neglected” the building where it is located and that the store suffered “significant security incidents.”

These incidents allegedly occurred between May 2022 and 2023 and included robbery, violence and customers with firearms and even a machete during an altercation.

The case is ongoing and has a jury trial scheduled for February 2025, according to California Superior Court documents for San Francisco County obtained by SFGate.

Several of American Eagle Outfitters’ competitors, including J.Crew and Nordstrom, fled the same mall months earlier.

OUT OF HERE

J.Crew officially closed on January 22, but did not provide a reason for the shutdown, according to the local CW affiliate KRON-TV.

Nordstrom closed in August 2023, citing less “foot traffic” and changes in “Downtown San Francisco market dynamics.”

Cinemark Theatres, Hollister, Adidas, Lucky Brand, LEGO and others have also left the mall.

Emporium Center San Francisco Closings

The US Sun has put together a list of currently known store closings at Emporium Center San Fransisco.

• American Eagle Outfitters (June 12, 2024)
• Adidas (January 13, 2024)
• Aldo (January 21, 2024)
• Hollister (unspecified date December 2023)
• J.Crew (January 22, 2024)
• Lucky Mark (January 29, 2024)
• Madewell (January 22, 2024)
• Nordstrom (August 26, 2023)
• LEGO (November 30, 2023)
• Old Navy (July 1, 2023)

The mall is also home to a Ted Baker store, which is closing permanently after the company filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Canada.

Madewell, Aldo and Old Navy will also close or have already closed.

It is unclear whether or not the stores have terminated their lease with Emporium Center San Francisco.

Some other clothing retailers also filed for bankruptcy this year.

Express filed for Chapter 11 in April, with the early closure of nearly 100 stores.

Rue 21 has also gone bankrupt, with plans to close its 540 stores within weeks, with liquidation sales happening now.