Major chain with more than 1,000 locations forced to close store doors for good – and blames rising crime for troubles

QUIKTRIP bosses have revealed that one of its Atlanta outlets is to close in days.

The convenience store will shut up shop on May 3 and execs have revealed the closure, in part, is linked to crime.

2

A QuikTrip outlet in downtown Atlanta is closing for goodCredit: Facebook / Quiktrip
QuikTrip bosses said the store was a pilot concept

2

QuikTrip bosses said the store was a pilot conceptCredit: WSBTV

Company chiefs revealed they had safety concerns for staffers and workers, per local ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

They said the shop, which opened eight years ago, didn’t meet the firm’s expectations.

Aisha Jefferson, the company’s corporate communications manager, explained the shop opened as a pilot concept.

QuikTrip is known for its gas stations, but this outlet was a store.

Jefferson revealed the company is committed to the Georgia city – despite the pending store closure.

“While we will end our non-gas pilot in Midtown, QT is more committed to Atlanta than ever,” she told The U.S. Sun.

“In fact, while we continue to open new locations in the Greater Atlanta Metro area, we are in the process of identifying a new Atlanta location for a full-service QT that we hope to have online within the next 2-3 years. 

“QT continues to invest heavily in Atlanta, not just in our stores, but in the community.

“Last year alone, QuikTrip made over $7 million in philanthropic investments across the greater Atlanta area toward homelessness, addiction, and youth services.”

QuikTrip has more than 1,000 locations across the US.

Bosses at the National Retail Federation revealed Atlanta was among the cities most affected by retail theft.

New York City, Seattle, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco were also listed in the company’s 2023 Retail Security Survey.

A Walmart store in Atlanta is set to reopen next month after it was forced to close following a fire.

The reopening has been welcomed by city chiefs, but the outlet has been remodeled.

The outlet will be a Walmart Neighborhood Market store and it will contain a police substation, per Insider.

Officials hope that a police presence inside the outlet will act as a deterrent.

Last year, Target hit the headlines after bosses announced the closure of nine stores.

The company revealed the decision was made with safety in mind.

A store in Harlem, two outlets in Seattle, and three locations in San Francisco/Oakland and Portland have closed.

Chains that have closed stores due to theft

Major retailers including Target and Whole Foods Market have closed stores due to rising theft. But it isn’t just retail chains that are impacted.

  • Target closed nine stores across the US due to theft. Outlets in Harlem, Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland shut up shop.
  • Whole Foods Market closed its flagship San Francisco location.
  • QuikTrip is closing a store in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • Denny’s closed an outlet in Oakland, California.
  • An In-N-Out restaurant in the city also closed.

“We cannot continue operating these stores because theft and organized retail crime are threatening the safety of our team and guests,” a spokesperson said.

The company had invested in cyber defense tools to combat theft, as well as teaming up with the US Department of Homeland Security.

Whole Foods chiefs were forced to close the company’s flagship store in San Francisco last April.

The outlet was dealing with theft, and there were reports of drug use near the location.

A Nordstrom store in downtown San Francisco also closed in August.

Bosses at restaurant chains have also closed outlets due to crime.

A Denny’s restaurant in Oakland, California, slammed shut after more than 50 years in January 2024.

An In-N-Out Burger restaurant in the city also closed.

“We have made the decision to close our In-N-Out Burger location in Oakland, California, due to ongoing issues with crime,” COO Denny Warnick said.

“Despite taking repeated steps to create safer conditions, our Customers and Associates are regularly victimized by car break-ins, property damage, theft, and armed robberies.”

Staffers told local media they had been targeted while at work.

Juliana Velazquez told The San Francisco Chronicle her car’s passenger windows were smashed.

Credit Gist New Today News in Newspaper Nigeria Headlines

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *