More than month after shuttering 33 of its locations nationwide from Chicago to Dallas, Foxtrot is looking to make a comeback. The new company announced its reopening this summer. Two of those locations will be in the Gold Coast and Old Town.
“I’m very excited,” customer Jerry Krivitzky told NBC Chicago. “This is a better use of space in this neighborhood.”
“I’m glad that its opening it’s real convenient for me,” fellow customer Mike Fuller said. “I work right next door, been shopping here for the last three years since they been opened.”
Some people who live and work in the neighborhood are welcoming the reopening and said they’re hoping to see familiar faces back in the stores.
“The staff here was great as well, they were friendly,” customer Ayesha Cheema said. “I don’t know if the same people will come back, but I think it’s important.”
Foxtrot merged with Dom’s Kitchen and Market at the end of last year, but back in April, customers and employees said they were left in the dark arriving to stores to find signs about the closure.
The public was told in a statement posted on Dom's website it found no viable options to continue the business and ended up filing for bankruptcy before selling its assets at auction in May.
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The previous parent holding company was Outfox. The assets were purchased by Further Point Enterprises which started a new company. The new company is now being led by Foxtrot's original cofounder Mike LaVitola as chairman.
One advocacy group is questioning the timing of the abrupt reopening following the sudden closure.
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“I’m surprised, it seems like the plans to reopen are being rolled out as about as quick, at the least from our perception, as quick as they decided to close,” Jose Uribe with Arise Chicago said.
Uribe, who works as a workplace justice campaign organizer with the workers' rights organization, said the group previously held a protest trying to help at least 50 laid off employees.
“Well I think the biggest question I have is, what that means for the workers that lost their jobs, right,” he said. “Is the company going to be recalling them?”
When asked if former employees would be welcomed back, a spokesperson for Foxtrot told NBC Chicago in a phone call that there was currently no information on the hiring process.
The spokesperson did not respond when asked what prompted the reopening plans.
Since Foxtrot's closure, a lawsuit has been filed against the company, alleging the layoffs violated Illinois' WARN Act.
“With the company closing nationwide, they affectively fired everyone without cause,” he said. “Since this is not due to any kind of performance concerns or issues as far as personnel performing their duties; yes, they should have recall rights, they should be the first to be contacted.”
The original cofounder and now chairman of Foxtrot was not available for an on-camera interview.
As for the reopening this summer, a spokesperson said an opening date has yet to be determined for the locations in Gold Coast and Old Town.
