Lululemon to close one of its Seattle stores

Sportswear brand Lululemon is closing its Pacific Place store in downtown Seattle. The last day of sales will be April 21.

Lululemon did not respond to inquiries about reasons for the closure. Besides its Pacific Place store, Lululemon has nine stores in Washington including another Seattle location at University Village and an outlet store in Tulalip.

Vancouver, B.C.-based Lululemon is the latest to exit downtown. The announcement follows 112-year-old jewelry store Fox’s Seattle, located at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, which will close this month. The president and owner, Zoey Mann, said she was closing Fox’s because she wanted to spend more time with her family and because people weren’t shopping downtown as much as they used to.

The closure of Lululemon will be a hit to the Pacific Place mall, which has struggled with a retail slowdown since the coronavirus pandemic. Pacific Place owner Avison Young said in an emailed statement that Lululemon’s decision to leave the mall is “unfortunate.”

“Avison Young’s leasing team is actively seeking tenants that will best serve and appeal to the community and provide long-term stability for Pacific Place and downtown Seattle, and there is keen interest from prospective tenants,” the statement read.

Other Pacific Place tenants include jewelry store Tiffany & Co. and soup dumpling restaurant chain Din Tai Fung. 

Despite the closures, the city’s core is home to more than 2,500 storefronts, according to the Downtown Seattle Association, which advocates for downtown recovery. 

By DSA metrics, downtown Seattle is still recovering from the pandemic shutdown four years ago.

In February 2024, the total number of visitors was 87% of the number seen in February 2020, and worker foot traffic in February was at 57% compared to the same period in 2020, according to DSA.

“But retail closures like Lululemon show work remains,” a DSA spokesperson said. “We must ensure an inviting environment for Seattle’s entrepreneurs, their employees and customers.”

Last month, Lululemon reported 2023 revenue of $9.6 billion, a 19% increase from the previous year. In the Americas, net revenue increased 12% from the previous year.