FILE – A Target store is seen June 29, 2016, in Hialeah, Fla. Target announced, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, that it will close nine store in four states, including one in East Harlem, New York and three in San Francisco, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)
Target said Tuesday that it will close nine stores in four states, including one in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood, and three in San Francisco, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers.
The closings, which will be effective Oct. 21, also include three stores in Portland, Oregon, and two in Seattle. Target said that it still will have a combined 150 stores open in the markets where the closures are taking place. It said it will offer affected workers the opportunity to transfer to other stores.
The Minneapolis retailer said the decision to close the stores was difficult.
“We know that our stores serve an important role in their communities, but we can only be successful if the working and shopping environment is safe for all,” Target said in a statement.
Target said it has invested heavily in strategies to prevent theft, such as adding more security workers, using third-party guard services and installing theft-deterrent tools, like locking up merchandise. It also has trained store leaders and security-team members to protect themselves and de-escalate potential safety issues.
But it noted that it still faced “fundamental challenges” to operate the stores safely — and the business performance at the locations slated for closure was unsustainable.
While the store closings account for just a fraction of the 1,900 stores Target operates nationwide, the move underscores the challenges retailers face in reducing theft in stores, protecting their workers and customers, and maintaining locations in areas that might have few shopping…
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