Apple Store at MacArthur Center in Virginia Permanently Closing Following Years of Safety Issues at Shopping Mall

[MacRumors]

Apple today indicated that its retail store at the MacArthur Center shopping mall in Norfolk, Virginia will be permanently closing after over 14 years of business, although an exact closure date has yet to be announced by the company.

Apple has assured that it will be offering all employees at the store other positions within Apple, and said that it looks forward to continuing to serve customers in the area at its Lynnhaven Mall retail store in nearby Virginia Beach.

"While we have made the difficult decision to close our store at MacArthur Center, we are pleased to be able to offer all of our team members other jobs within Apple," said Apple in a statement shared with MacRumors. "We look forward to helping customers at Apple Lynnhaven Mall, as well as on Apple.com and our popular Apple Store and Support apps."

Apple's statement does not mention a reason for the store closure, but there have been several safety issues at MacArthur Center, including multiple active shooter situations in recent years. A growing number of retailers have already left the mall, including Nordstrom, Williams-Sonoma, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Fossil, Pottery Barn, and others.

Apple MacArthur Center first opened in September 2006, and it does not appear that Apple has any immediate plans to open a new store in Norfolk, so customers in the area will have to visit Apple Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach for in-person shopping and support.

A person familiar with the matter informed MacRumors that the store will likely be closed in around 90 days, so the location's final day of business will likely be in May. The person said Apple is working quickly to help all employees find new places within the company, and offering relocation packages if necessary. Some employees may be transferred to Apple's Lynnhaven Mall location, or transition to work-at-home AppleCare positions.

Article Link: Apple Store at MacArthur Center in Virginia Permanently Closing Following Years of Safety Issues at Shopping Mall

 

[newyorksole]

Wow. That’s a first (I think).

At least the employees will be taken care of.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Sounds like a good move by Apple. Employee safety comes first.

 

[zorinlynx]

Wow, I wonder what it is about that mall that attracts crazy people.

Either way, I'm glad they're not laying off the employees. Hopefully they can all accept the alternatives Apple provides.

EDIT: Wow, I looked it up on Google Maps and it doesn't even seem to be a bad area. Downtown, by the river, looks nice. What's the deal?

 

[mpshay]

I lived in the Norfolk area when the mall first opened. It was really nice...guess things have changed a lot.

 

[Joe Rossignol]

Wow. That’s a first (I think).

At least the employees will be taken care of.

Not quite, but very rare: https://www.macrumors.com/2017/09/01/apple-store-simi-valley-permanently-closing/

 

[Macalway]

Doesn't make any difference were it is, if gangs or flash mobs decide this is the place, it's going to happen. I've seen this sort of thing in other places. Really expensive areas become gangland shooting galleries overnight, literally overnight. So quickly, everyone is dumfounded. It will also continue until they are forced out, which has to happen. But these days, who knows. I think the rule is, if you see groups of kids that look like they aren't shopping, then there's some concern you may end up collateral. God bless America.

 

[rictus007]

Wow, I wonder what it is about that mall that attracts crazy people.

Either way, I'm glad they're not laying off the employees. Hopefully they can all accept the alternatives Apple provides.

EDIT: Wow, I looked it up on Google Maps and it doesn't even seem to be a bad area. Downtown, by the river, looks nice. What's the deal?

Gang related violence according to some news reports

 

[Cmd-Z]

Gang related violence according to some news reports

Lots of Android thugs in that area /s

 

[Realityck]

I lived in the Norfolk area when the mall first opened. It was really nice...guess things have changed a lot.

There has been enough crime incidents to warrant closing I guess. They had three shootings in a year and half up to last year June at that shopping center that I see looking back in the news.

 

[Dorv]

So yes, there have been some safety issues recently (Well, pre-pandemic recently), but that's not necessarily why retail anchors have been leaving as those departures started before those incidents occurred. What it really boils down to is the fact that people stopped coming, and those that do are there more for the entertainment (movie theatre on the third floor, restaurants and -- ironically -- Apple Store appointments to get stuff fixed) -- thus not spending a ton of money.

 

[KaliYoni]

Here's some background (from a Bloomberg story that I vaguely remembered and was able to dig up) on how the mall came to be built and what has happened since:

A Virginia City’s Playbook for Urban Renewal: Move Out the Poor

Norfolk is using federal tax breaks to plow under its historically Black neighborhoods.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[mariusignorello]

Doesn't make any difference were it is, if gangs or flash mobs decide this is the place, it's going to happen. I've seen this sort of thing in other places. Really expensive areas become gangland shooting galleries overnight, literally overnight. So quickly, everyone is dumfounded. It will also continue until they are forced out, which has to happen. But these days, who knows. I think the rule is, if you see groups of kids that look like they aren't shopping, then there's some concern you may end up collateral. God bless America.

It’s true. I don’t think people should profile for the wrong reasons, but there is a good reason why we do it, and it’s for our own safety. There’s nothing wrong with that.

 

[Captain Trips]

Lots of Android thugs in that area /s

Nice Apple Store you got there, be a shame if anything happened to it...

 

[Nicky G]

Lots of Android thugs in that area /s

"Too soon" but also hilarity ?

 

[Nicky G]

Nice Apple Store you got there, be a shame if anything happened to it...

LOL Those Google Gangstas...

 

[Captain Trips]

LOL Those Google Gangstas...

They have an offer you can't refuse.

 

[Diamond Dog]

Damn TEENS.

 

[Pirate!]

At least there’s no additional tunnels between the stores, so that’s good?

 

[Latenate]

The entire MacArthur Mall is shutting down due to financial reasons. Every tenant has been advised in writing that no leases will be renewed. This has been ongoing for 18 months. Poor reporting here blaming “incidents” without doing some basic journalistic fact checking.

 

[derekamoss]

Ive been there quite a few times during 2006-2010 while in the Navy and it seemed pretty nice then. There was a concert venue right close to it and would hang in the mall a lil before the concert would start. Can't remember the name of it though.

 

[BigSmurf]

So this is what Zuckerberg meant with inflicting pain on Apple... sending his FB anti-privacy thugs!
/sarcasm

 

[SDArch]

The entire MacArthur Mall is shutting down due to financial reasons. Every tenant has been advised in writing that no leases will be renewed. This has been ongoing for 18 months. Poor reporting here blaming “incidents” without doing some basic journalistic fact checking.

I go to Norfolk a few times a year for work. Last visit in 2019 I spent some time in downtown Norfolk and visited the mall to get some lunch. I was actually surprised how busy the mall was and it seemed to me at the time this was one of the few malls I had visited recently that seemed like it could survive. What a difference 18 months makes.

 

[graceatworkweb]

Man, this is a real bummer. I helped open this store back in 2006 and worked there as a genius for a while. It's a shame...use to be a really nice place.

With just one Apple Store in all of Hampton Roads it is going to be impossible to get appointments in the store. At Lynnhaven you usually can get something in a day or two, but at MacArthur it was always days out. I hope they can come up with another plan to serve this area...but frankly, I'm not sure where they would go.

 

[max2]

Man, this is a real bummer. I helped open this store back in 2006 and worked there as a genius for a while. It's a shame...use to be a really nice place.

With just one Apple Store in all of Hampton Roads it is going to be impossible to get appointments in the store. At Lynnhaven you usually can get something in a day or two, but at MacArthur it was always days out. I hope they can come up with another plan to serve this area...but frankly, I'm not sure where they would go.

Everything is moving online!

Which is a good thing!