Amazon closing San Francisco grocery warehouse

Amazon is closing a 38,500-square-foot grocery fulfillment center in San Francisco’s Dogpatch area, according to local reports.

The company had been operating what it called an UltraFastFresh depot for last-mile grocery delivery at the site, TheRealDeal reported.

Amazon filed a written WARN notice with the California Employment Development Department last month about the warehouse, with a closing date scheduled for June 27. The facility employed 85 workers, according to the state filing.

The closing comes as Amazon has been shuttering other warehouses around the country to optimize its logistics as ecommerce growth has slowed in the wake of the pandemic.

According to TheRealDeal, Amazon has also exited a 75,000-square-foot warehouse in the city and a 112,000-square-foot facility in Bayview as it prepares to consolidate its operations into a new, 650,000-square-foot logistics center in Showplace Square.

It was not immediately clear if the new facility would include grocery delivery, or when it might open. 

An Amazon spokesperson said the company would fulfill orders from other locations after the grocery warehouse closes.

“We are committed to providing a best-in-class grocery experience for our customers in San Francisco and are continually evaluating our network to make sure it best serves customers,” said Jessica Martin, the Amazon spokesperson. “We’ll continue to provide customers with a broad grocery offering, including selection on amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and through our ever-expanding grocery partnerships.”

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She said employees at the San Francisco fulfillment center are being offered transfers to other facilities nearby, or support if they choose not to stay with Amazon.