Target to close 9 stores across 4 states, citing retail crime. See the full list.
- Target will close nine stores in New York, Seattle, Portland, and the Bay Area due to crime.
- "Theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests," the company said.
Target will close nine locations in four metro areas as a result of "unsustainable" levels of organized retail crime, the company said Tuesday.
The list includes one location in New York, two in Seattle, three in Portland, and three in the San Francisco Bay Area that will shut down on October 21.
"We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests," Target said in a statement.
CEO Brian Cornell said previously that retail theft was driving a $500 million increase over last year's inventory shrink, bringing the 2023 total to as much as $1.2 billion.
Cornell also said theft incidents at Target stores with "violence or threats of violence" have more than doubled since January.
Earlier in the day, an industry survey revealed that retailers lost a combined $112 billion to inventory shrink, primarily due to theft.
Target is the first major general merchandise retailer to explicitly cite theft as the primary reason for a round of store closures of this scale.
The company said it attempted to curb crime at these locations by hiring additional security staff, contracting with guard services, and using anti-theft tools, which ultimately proved unsuccessful.
One of the closing locations, at the corner of Folsom and 13th Streets in San Francisco, was the subject of a viral TikTok video showing long aisles of locked-up shelves.
Employees at the affected stores will be offered positions at other Target locations, the statement said.
"We cannot solve this issue on our own," the company said, calling for "a whole of community, government, and industry approach to seek solutions."
Here is the full list of Target locations closing, effective October 21
California
1690 Folsom St, San Francisco
2650 Broadway, Oakland
4301 Century Blvd, Pittsburg
New York
517 E 117th Street, Harlem, New York City
Oregon
939 SW Morrison St, Portland
3031 SE Powell Blvd, Portland
4030 NE Halsey St, Portland
Washington
4535 University Way NE, Seattle
1448 NW Market St, Ste 100, Seattle
If you are a Target worker or shopper at one of the affected locations who would like to share your perspective, please get in touch with Dominick via email. Responses will be kept confidential and Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out.