Consumer electronics retailer B8ta has temporarily closed two stores in San Francisco, the latest shutdown that took place after an armed robbery Wednesday at its Hayes Valley location amid a surge in violent crime.
The security camera footage shows a man in a scooter entering the store and flashing a silver rifle at the store manager, who is driving backwards. The man, wearing a mask and baseball cap, takes two laptops and leaves the store on the scooter.
B8ta CEO Vibhu Norby said crime had gotten worse in San Francisco this year. Last month, an unmasked man “clearly drug” took an $ 800 product and ran out, he said. Separately, another man entered the store’s back room and damaged products and broke a plate, according to a police report. According to a police report, two women stole several bags at Union Square last month. The store is also now closed and all incidents are being investigated, according to San Francisco police.
Burglaries, classified as theft with forced entry or intimidation, have skyrocketed in San Francisco over the past year, with closed stores and homes becoming popular targets during the pandemic. Nationwide, according to police, burglaries jumped by 50.9% in 2020 to 7,487 cases compared to 4,962 cases in 2019. In the northern district of the department, which includes Hayes Valley, burglaries increased by 44%.
This is another obstacle for retailers who were forced to close for months during the pandemic and are now restricting occupations. Many buyers have switched to online ordering, which reduces foot traffic.
B8ta’s top products include laptops and speakers worth thousands of dollars, and robberies have been a problem since the Hayes Valley store opened in 2017. But the recent incidents that erupted in the store this week with an armed man made it possible to keep the store open, Norby said. An unarmed security guard was powerless to stop the robbery.
Violent crime is not a problem in stores outside of San Francisco, which includes other Bay Area cities such as Palo Alto, Corte Madera and San Jose. “It does not exist in other places where we have shops,” he said.
Someone even broke a window in the store at Chase Center last month, which is a block from police headquarters but was thwarted by a second pane.
Norby said it is disappointing that some of San Francisco’s leading shopping areas have become dangerous, and he wants to reopen the stores if it feels safe.
“Hayes is one of the best shopping streets in town,” he said. The Union Square location is next to the luxury Hermès store.
He calls on city officials to prioritize safety in the areas.
“I do not have a solution for you, but I do have a challenge to keep this block safe for a month,” Norby said.
The City Office of Economic and Labor Affairs said B8ta is affiliated with Union Square’s Community Benefit District, which works with local retailers on public safety and other services, and Northern Station police chief Paul Yep.
“We are sorry that Mr. Norby and his employees had to experience it. Our hope is to continue reducing COVID-19 business so that we can start reopening our economy and get people back in the corridors to go and eat and eat, and do so safely, ‘ said the agency.
‘This is a very worrying development, and our office has reacted in direct response to the owner, as well as the SFPD and the district attorney. We are determined to address this issue and ensure that our neighborhood businesses and their workers are protected, ”said supervisor Dean Preston, who represents Hayes Valley, in a statement.
B8ta raised more than $ 93 million from investors, including Macy’s and Khosla Ventures, in an effort to re-introduce retail for technical products, but the pandemic devastated its business. The company laid off more than half of its corporate employees and last March acquired about 250 retail workers. Many workers were re-employed and the business was helped by a $ 2.26 million loan for the Paycheck Protection Program, Norby said. The company now has about 130 employees.
‘We’ve found ways to make money. We are definitely not out of the woods, ”he said, predicting that it will take another year before things recover.
Last March, the company closed its San Francisco office and changed its mailing address to its warehouse in Austin, Texas, but Norby plans to retain B8ta’s headquarters in San Francisco, where he lives, and hopes to eventually close the stores again. to open.
“SF is such a wonderful city, it would be a shame not to have a store here,” he said. “We’re not going.”
Roland Li is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email Address: [email protected] Twitter: @rolandlisf