Further Point Enterprises, the investment firm that bought bankrupt urban convenience-store chain Foxtrot’s assets at auction, is planning to reopen at least four of the stores in Chicago.
The firm recently applied for liquor licenses at the Wicker Park, Fulton Market, Old Town and Gold Coast former Foxtrot locations, Block Club Chicago reported.
Foxtrot founder Mike LaVitola previously told Block Club he plans to reopen 10 stores, starting with the locations in Old Town and Gold Coast, as the company attempts a comeback as a smaller chain.
LaVitola is returning to an executive position and working with Further Point to lead Foxtrot’s revival, the report said.
- LaVitola was among CSP’s Indie Innovators in 2018 and a Power 20 executive in 2021.
A spokesperson with Foxtrot declined to comment on the reopening at the four locations. “No news to share about opening dates yet,” a spokesperson told Block Club Chicago. “We will have more info available in the coming weeks.”
Foxtrot and small-format grocer Dom’s Kitchen & Market closed all of their stores suddenly in late April, posting a statement on social media. The move came less than six months after the brands announced a merger forming a new parent company, Outfox Hospitality.
Foxtrot had 33 locations in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Austin, Texas. Dom’s had two locations in Chicago.
Following the closures, some employees filed lawsuits against the company, alleging they were not provided with the required 60-day notice before their jobs were terminated.
Outfox Hospitality filed a petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in May for relief under Chapter 7 of the federal bankruptcy code. Further Point, New York, purchased Foxtrot’s assets on May 10 for approximately $2.2 million.
Meanwhile, small-format, upscale grocer The Fresh Market, Greensboro, North Carolina, is going to open a store in the space recently occupied by the Dom’s in Lincoln Park.
