A Lululemon store in Washington, D.C. closed less than two weeks after it was robbed, according to reports.
Earlier this week, the athletic retailer’s Navy Yard neighborhood store was seen having multiple signs posted on its doors stating that it has “officially closed,” further directing customers to its other stores within the nation’s capital, reports said. This updated sign replaces an earlier version that states the store was “temporarily closed.”
While it remains unclear if the closure is permanent, the Navy Yard store location information has been removed from Lululemon’s website.
FN has reached out to Lululemon for comment and further details.
This closure comes after DC police reported that the Navy Yard location was robbed at gunpoint on Dec. 14. According to police, an employee told officers that three men came in wearing ski masks and demanded cash. They were able to get away with money and more than 50 pieces of clothing worth approximately $6,000.
This is not the first time Lululemon’s Navy Yard location has been the target of retail crime. The store was hit with two back-to-back flash mob robberies in March 2022. Multiple suspects grabbed merchandise totaling at least $15,000 in these incidents, according to police.
With this closure, Lululemon is now left with three D.C. locations including Georgetown, 14th Street and F Street.
The retailer’s 14th Street store was the subject of its own robbery in February. According to police, over $4,000 worth of items were taken from the store.
As incidents of retail crime like these continue to escalate throughout the country, retailers have seen a dramatic jump in financial losses associated with theft. In September, the National Retail Federation (NRF) reported that retailers across the country saw more than $112 billion in lost or stolen inventory in 2022. NRF said the average shrink rate in 2022 increased to 1.6 percent, up from 1.4 percent the previous year.
Rising retail crime is also a major issue for Washington, D.C. In the nation’s capital specifically, the city was named number two on a list of U.S. areas hurting the most from retail theft, and the crime cost residents an average of $336 per capita in 2021, according to a survey released last month by Forbes Advisor. The survey also found that the cost to business of retail theft in D.C. – which included lost products, higher insurance, and other factors – was estimated at $880 per resident.
These figures are just one reason local officials are finally taking action to combat retail crime. In October, newly proposed legislation from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser took aim at organized retail theft. The legislation, titled the Addressing Crime Trends Now Act of 2023, aims to create criminal penalties for organized retail theft and establishes a new crime for directing organized retail theft.
“This legislation reflects what our community is telling us: they want appropriate accountability for those who choose to commit crimes and inflict fear in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Bowser at the time.
