Sep. 6, 2023 Updated: Sep. 7, 2023 2:26 p.m. (SFChronicle.com)
Levi Strauss & Co. has renewed its lease at its longtime Market Street flagship store, despite Old Navy and Nordstrom shuttering on the same San Francisco block in the past two months.
The jeans pioneer, founded in the city in 1853, has occupied the store at 815 Market St. for a decade, and a spokesperson confirmed to the Chronicle that the lease was recently renewed.
The commitment by Levi Strauss is a sharp contrast to the pandemic exodus of clothing retailers in the area, which include the departures of Gap, Marshalls and Uniqlo. The 22,000-square-foot Levi’s store sits in a critical tourism hub steps away from the Powell Street cable car turnaround.
On Monday, Levi Strauss said on its website that it is “more committed than ever to be a positive force for change here in our hometown.”
“As our city emerges from a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and grapples with new challenges, LS&Co. is reaffirming our ties to San Francisco — and we’re taking action to demonstrate our commitment, with the help of our fellow community members,” the company said.
The company is also ramping up its local philanthropy with plans to give $500,000 in grants to San Francisco nonprofits over the next two years and creating volunteer programs for employees.
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The effort builds on Levi Strauss’ participation in the Adopt-a-Block program, where employees are cleaning and beautifying a troubled block on Larkin Street in the Tenderloin. The company also renewed its headquarters office lease at Levi’s Plaza earlier in the pandemic.
“These efforts are important to bring joy to local communities and let them know others are supporting them,” Alexis Bechtol, the company’s director of community affairs, said in a statement. “They’re also significant to our employees, who are able to give back to the city in meaningful ways and really feel the deep connection between LS&Co. and San Francisco in action.”
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In addition to store closures and a drop in foot traffic, the Powell Street retail area was roiled by the fatal shooting of Banko Brown outside a Walgreens in April. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins decided not to file charges against Walgreens security guard Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, who shot Brown, according to security footage, triggering protests and a wrongful death lawsuit from Brown’s family. The Walgreens, which is next to the Levi’s store, temporarily closed but has since reopened.
The fate of the massive San Francisco Centre mall on the same block is also in limbo as owners Westfield and Brookfield transfer control of the property after stopping mortgage payments. The city is studying the idea of turning the mall into a soccer stadium, but it doesn’t own the mall, and such a plan would be costly and require numerous city approvals.
Reach Roland Li: roland.li@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @rolandlisf
Written By Roland Li
Roland Li covers commercial real estate for the business desk, focusing on the Bay Area office and retail sectors.
He was previously a reporter at San Francisco Business Times, where he won one award from the California News Publishers Association and three from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
He is the author of “Good Luck Have Fun: The Rise of eSports,” a 2016 book on the history of the competitive video game industry. Before moving to the Bay Area in 2015, he studied and worked in New York. He freelanced for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other local publications. His hobbies include swimming and urban photography.
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