Ingka Centres, Which Manages the IKEA Mall, Is Dropping Their Food Hall Operator

"If you've been to Saluhall, on the first and second floors of the mall building, adjacent to the IKEA store, anytime recently, you likely noticed that it's not a particularly lively spot most afternoons or evenings. A lack of foot traffic has meant that vendors haven't lasted too long in the upstairs area, and two of the five food stalls there are currently vacant."

"Well, as the SF Standard is reporting, Ingka is cutting ties with British firm Kerb, the business incubator and food hall operator that created a popular food hall in London called Seven Dials Market and it's also the firm that manages Emeryville's Public Market. Ingka gave a statement saying they had "mutually agreed" to end the partnership with Kerb, and told the Standard that they will be taking over management and marketing of Saluhall themselves."

"Even buzzed-about Oakland taco spot Tacos El Ultimo Baile, which has gained a following for its pop-ups and its brief brick-and-mortar stint in the Fruitvale District, was unable to last long at Saluhall. Chef and owner Dominic Prado opened a stall there in mid-July, and shut it down by early September, clearly due to lack of business. (Prado is now hoping to open in a space in Oakland's City Center in the new year.)"

Saluhall, the food hall located on the first and second floors of the IKEA mall in San Francisco, is underperforming with low afternoon and evening foot traffic. Two of five upstairs food stalls are vacant and vendors have struggled to sustain operations. Tacos El Ultimo Baile opened in mid-July and closed by early September due to lack of business. Ingka Centres is ending its partnership with British operator Kerb after about 18 months and will assume management and marketing of Saluhall. Weak operator marketing and neighborhood retail decline, including Union Square vacancies and the SF Centre mall's struggles, compound the problem.

Read at sfist.com