Harlem Target closing a ‘wake-up’ call

Target’s decision to shutter its first Manhattan location amid rampant shoplifting should serve as a “wake-up call to city officials,” an industry expert said — as the retailer’s plans to open another store in the neighborhood have been delayed, The Post has learned.

The Minneapolis-based discount chain announced Tuesday it will close the East 117th Street store — along with eight other locations, in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and San Francisco — on Oct. 21, citing the “safety” of its employees amid increasingly violent incidents of crime.

“It’s a terrible result and hopefully serves as a wake-up call to city officials that this needs to be dealt with ASAP, otherwise there will be more to follow,” warned Jeffrey Roseman, vice chairman of real-estate giant Newmark.

“The city has always been the mecca for retailers from across the world who wanted to be a part of the action. We can’t afford to let that slip away.”

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has been criticized for refusing to prosecute shoplifters, who have preyed on businesses since the pandemic.

The prosecutor noted after Target announced its decision that shoplifting complaints are down 14% in the borough this year.

State Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs, who represents East Harlem, called Target’s exit from his district a “setback.” “Whether [it’s] Target, CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, small mom-and-pop businesses or other big-box retailers, retail stores are falling victim to petty crimes and shoplifting, which is reaching alarming levels,” the Democrat said in a statement to The Post.

Shutting the East 117th Street store, which employs some 200 workers, will leave a void in the community and force some East Harlem residents to leave their neighborhoods to feed their families, Gibbs added.

“All East Harlemites deserve to live near convenient, affordable, healthy grocery stores,” he said.

“Target served as an economic anchor for this community, providing invaluable and affordable food choices.”