DSW followed other retailers in Union Square that announced its permanent closures.
The chain’s sole location in San Francisco will shut for good, as confirmed by an employee to SFGATE on Tuesday afternoon. The San Francisco Chronicle, which is under the same owner as SFGATE, first carried the news of the closure of the Ohio-based company.
The shoe chain located on 400 Post St. will hold its last day of operation on Dec. 3.
It already placed a green “closed” sign on its door, which was first opened to customers in 2012.
Yelp also carried the news on the store’s closure.
SFGATE has reached out to DSW for comment regarding the reason for its closure but it has not returned the request immediately.
DSW has added to the list of the stores in downtown San Francisco which announced closures – including Gap, H&M, Uniqlo and Nordstrom Rack. The closures have emerged because of the lessened food traffic and the area and the rise of online shopping, especially during the COVID-19 health crisis.
Also among the stores that announced closure was Walgreens but said it was due to the present concern on organized retail crime. Walgreens said it will shut five additional stores throughout San Francisco.
DSW’s website said it has 500 locations across the country. The chain suffered a 36 percent drop in net sales last year, according to Jared Poff, DSW’s parent company Designer Brands’ CFO told Columbus Business First in March. Poff said the chain had listed about 65 stores that “would make sense to close” in the next four years. For 2021, it said 24 of its locations can close.
With the closure of its San Francisco location, the company has remaining locations in the Bay Area. These are its stores in San Jose, San Mateo, Daly City, Pleasant Hill, Dublin, and Novato.
