Walgreens says goodbye to Westfield San Francisco Centre next month

The Corner W by Walgreens at Westfield San Francisco Centre will be closing its doors Nov. 13, 2019. The Corner W by Walgreens at Westfield San Francisco Centre will be closing its doors Nov. 13, 2019. Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE Photo: Susana Guerrero/ SFGATE Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Walgreens says goodbye to Westfield San Francisco Centre next month 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

In recent years, the Emporium at Westfield San Francisco Centre has seen a number of businesses that once served customers in the mall's lower level close for good. Soon, the Emporium will lose one of its major tenants.

The Corner W by Walgreens will close on Nov. 13, store manager Wulan Smith confirmed. A discreet sign near the cashier line announces the impending closure.

As the store prepares for the closure, many of its shelves are already empty. The “daily living” section — which once stocked trash bags, paper goods, and more — has been wiped clean of merchandise. Some shelves have already been removed and stacked on one another.

The “fresh + fast section,” which once stored ready-to-go snacks and beverages, has also been cleared out and covered with tarp. Several of the remaining store items are on sale for a discount.

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The closure comes just months after Walgreens announced that 200 stores across the U.S. would close, which included the Corner W at Westfield, Alex Brown, a spokesperson for Walgreens told SFGATE.

"Please be assured that the community will remain well served by Walgreens with our store located nearby at 825 Market St.," Brown said. "We expect to place the majority of [the Corner W] store’s employees in jobs at other area stores."

At this time, it's unclear what business will take over the Corner W retail space at the mall. Westfield did not return requests for comment.

Westfield has lost and replaced a number of businesses that formerly served hungry crowds at the mall's lower level, including Peet’s Coffee, Amoura Café, Mr. Hana, Bistro Burger, and most notably, Bristol Farms. The grocery chain shuttered in January 2017; reasons behind the closure were not officially stated. According to Hoodline, Westfield had reportedly increased the grocery store’s rent by 25 percent.

The 30,000 square-foot retail space that formerly housed Bristol Farms remains vacant.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include Walgreen's response to the closure.

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Susana Guerrero is an SFGATE digital reporter. Email: Susana.Guerrero@sfgate.com | Twitter: @SusyGuerrero3