After the flagship, three-story Union Square Uniqlo store closed in 2021 as that shopping district dove down the abyss, we’re now getting word that Uniqlo may want back into the downtown SF game, and might even be eyeing the vacant Old Navy.

San Francisco’s pandemic retail apocalypse was already well underway when the three-story Union Square Uniqlo store closed in 2021, with that shopping district’s H&M and The Gap having already fallen on their swords. (This was when we were still social distancing, and almost no one was eligible to get the COVID vaccine yet.) And things in Union Square would only get much worse from there.  

But now four years after that closure, today’s Chronicle brings the news that Uniqlo might be opening a new downtown SF store. And it may not be far from the old three-story spot that was at 111 Powell Street, as the Chronicle’s reporting indicates that the discussions have named the long-shuttered Old Navy store at Fourth and Market streets as the possible location.

It’s hard to overemphasize how popular Uniqlo was when they opened that Union Square store in 2012, Uniqlo’s first West Coast store at the time. Yes, the above photo really does depict the scene outside the store’s opening. They even flew a Uniqlo zeppelin over town, and bought wraparound ads on those double-decker tourist buses. This was about six years before the Uniqlo vending machine at SFO drew international curiosity, cementing their puffy vests as the unofficial “Silicon Valley uniform.”

Is Uniqlo still that popular? Well, they remain the world’s third-largest clothing retailer, so yes, Uniqlo is still pretty popular. The Uniqlo at Stonestown Galleria seems to do well.

The Chronicle gets their information through emails they obtained through public records requests. “We have been keeping a close eye on re-entering … Downtown over the past years and are now getting close to confirming a location,” Uniqlo North America real estate director Tomo Yasuda reportedly wrote in an April email to the Daniel Lurie administration. “San Francisco is an important market for Uniqlo and we are very excited about the idea of opening back up.”

Lurie’s economic policy chief Ned Segal thanked Yasuda for his “interest in reopening in San Francisco,” and added, “We want to do everything we can to help you understand our plans to ensure you and other downtown businesses can thrive.”

The parties apparently had a meeting with Lurie and his top staff in July, per the Chronicle.

And while the location is still up in the air, and none of this is a done deal yet, the Chron also has the tidbit that the owner of the building of the Old Navy store at 801 Market street that closed in 2023 sent Segal an April email that said they were “working on a lease with Uniqlo for Pac Place.” (That building’s name is Pacific Place.)

Lurie would sell this as a comeback achievement, which it certainly would be. Though it’s consistent with a pattern that Uniqlo is executing. They closed stores from 2020-22, but the Chronicle points us to reporting that the chain has been on an expansion kick ever since.

This isn’t exactly Macy’s being talked into staying in Union Square, and again, this is not a done deal, and negotiations are clearly ongoing. But the return of Uniqlo — and filling that empty Old Navy spot — would be one hell of a jumpstart for the downtown retail scene.

Related: Photos: Inside Uniqlo's First West Coast Store in San Francisco [SFist]

Image: Edward L via Yelp