June 1 (UPI) — Several major retailers are closing stores and limiting hours in locations affected by looting and vandalism during nationwide protests related to the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Affected retailers include Apple, Target and Whole Foods, which have all said they have has closed some locations temporarily and cut hours around city curfews in Chicago, Los Angeles and Minneapolis.
Minneapolis-based Target said Sunday it would close select stores in Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia due to rioting.
“The safety of our team and guests is our top priority,” the company said. “At this time, we are making the decision to adjust store hours or close stores temporarily.
“We recognize the important role we play in helping our communities shop for the food, medicine and other essentials they need. We apologize for the inconvenience and will reopen our stores on their normally scheduled hours as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Amazon, which owns Whole Foods, said it would limit deliveries in Chicago and Los Angeles and chain locations near Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Chicago are temporarily closed.
“If you are currently out delivering packages, stop immediately and return home,” Amazon told drivers in those cities. “If you have not completed your route, please return undelivered packages to the pick-up location whenever you’re able to do so.”
Some Apple stores in Minneapolis, New York City and Washington, D.C., were vandalized recently during protests. The company, which recently reopened some U.S. stores following weeks of coronavirus restrictions, said locations in affected areas will be closed temporarily.
Walmart closed stores in Minneapolis and Atlanta on Friday and hundreds more over the weekend.