SEATTLE — Layoffs are coming after Target announced Tuesday it will close two Seattle area stores in October because theft and organized retail crime are making the locations unsafe for workers and shoppers.
Target said the University Way and Ballard stores will be shuttered on Oct. 21. According to Target, 22 stores will remain open in the Seattle area.
About 4,000 people are employed at the various Target locations throughout Seattle. According to Washington state's Employment Security Department, 90 employees in Seattle will be affected beginning Dec. 30. Target said it would work with eligible employees to give them the opportunity to transfer to other Target stores.
The store closures are part of nine Target closures across four states, the company said in its release.
Target described the decision as “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.
“I'm always troubled and businesses shut down and leave. That should always concern every mayor. So part of our efforts is to make sure that we, as you saw today, is to make sure we double down on the businesses that are here to make sure we can keep them here,” Mayor Bruce Harrell said Friday at a small business improvement grant presentation in U District.
The University District Partnership released a statement about the closure that read, in part:
"Target’s departure will be a loss for the U District and points to a much larger issue facing our city. Theft and organized retail crime continue to thrive, unchecked in Seattle–facilitated by loosely regulated online marketplaces and fueled by the insatiable demand of the current fentanyl crisis. Our local leaders must continue to act with great urgency to stem the impacts of this ecosystem on our city."
While the store closings account for a fraction of the 1,900 stores Target operates nationwide, it underscores the challenges that retailers like Target face in reducing theft in stores as they wrestle with protecting their workers and customers while trying to serve the community, particularly low-income and minority groups who rely on the local stores for necessities.