Angela Rakis’ Post

I visited my first Foxtrot last year while in Chicago and absolutely loved it! I'm curious to see what will happen (if anything) for this brand. If you're interested to learn more about Foxtrot and/or its recently merger with Dom's Market, check out the Special Features and Small Operation sections of CSNews.com

The news of Foxtrot's closure last week was devastating and my deepest empathy goes out to all those affected—to the employees, the brands, and all who partnered in bringing the retail concept to life, many of whom are my customers, peers, and friends. For me, personally, this has been the loss of a fellow pioneer. Since starting Pop Up Grocer in 2019, barely a day has gone by without the retailer coming up in conversation. Foxtrot was by our side in supporting emerging brands—often times, like us, serving as their very first shelf. Larger retailers have extremely high barriers to entry and independent stores have limited reach—these brands need somewhere of meaningful impact to go, quickly. And while their failure, for many, will simply help draw the conclusion that “small format”, “premium convenience,” and “emerging brand-first” doesn’t work. Or, as I’ve seen commentary here, “a lack of product/market fit,” I respectfully and sorely disagree. One must look closer. For us, I won’t pretend to be without challenges—the market has significantly changed since our start five years ago and this has impacted our brand partners as well as our own costs of doing business. But, we believe very much in the opportunity to serve these emerging brands and to provide a much-desired and unique experience for our customers—now, more than ever. If you are a brand looking for a shelf with high visibility, I hope you will reach out. And if you are interested in joining us in this pursuit—as an investor or other strategic partner—I would love to connect. 

A sad day for lovers of new & delicious things. Food and beverage startups have been mourning the death of Foxtrot since Snaxshot broke the news of its closure last week. The Chicago-based grocer was a launchpad for innovative food and beverage products—a stepping stone on the path to scale. Food and bev is still heavily dominated by big, global players. Despite the internet's promise to democratize everything, the food and bev gatekeepers—ie, Big Grocery—continue to thrive. So Foxtrot’s demise isn’t just a blow to the suppliers left with unpaid invoices (and evidently there are many; this is utterly shameful). It’s a blow to all of us trying to slay Goliath; to build businesses from the ground up; and to help people imagine a more diverse, delicious and interesting world. All the more reason to support businesses like Pop Up Grocer, and independent grocers everywhere, which serve as vital showcases for new ideas. RIP, Foxtrot.

Foxtrot and Dom’s Kitchen & Market collectively operated less than 40 stores in just a few markets. The former was just a decade old, while the latter’s first location hadn’t even celebrated three years in business. But when the news hit last week that both retailers, which merged last fall under newly formed parent company Outfoxed Hospitality, had ceased operations, the outpouring of shock, grief and frustration across the industry was enormous. It’s not clear what led to the demise of Foxtrot and Dom's — two retailers that that had seemed so promising. What is clear, however, is that Foxtrot and Dom’s were operating during a tough time for upscale, innovative retailers. Their downfall comes as both consumers and retailers are feeling more pressure than ever to cut costs, pare down and focus on the essentials. Indeed, we’ve entered a period where creative new retail ideas will struggle to flourish against the raw power of large players and the grinding need for efficiency — and it’ll likely only get tougher from here.

In just over four months of building OOSO Sparkling Tea with my fiancé and co-founder, Sophia Racciatti, there have been daily milestones worth celebrating. Yet, with so much on our plates as a two-person team, it’s pretty easy to overlook these wins. One milestone that truly made us pause and reflect is how OOSO has made it into over 100 stores. As a self funded and bootstrapped brand, there’s no denying that’s a significant achievement. And what’s even more exciting is it’s just the beginning. Now that we're on the shelves, our focus shifts to driving velocity and reorder rates. Typically, a product needs to live on the shelf for some time to gain traction, but we’re already seeing promising velocity that we’ll bolster with some fresh marketing tactics in the next couple months and into Dry January. Cheers to continued growth! Sip sparkling and see clearly 👀 Photo credit: Ben Krebs // Attaboy Studio

Foxtrot, a speciality retailer, just shut down. This retailer was a focus for many emerging brands, brokers, and some of our competitors. This was a complete waste of time for brands and founders. If you're an emerging brand, it takes the same amount of time to get into a Foxtrot as it does a Kohl's or any other national retailer. "But Ben, it helps my brand get sales data for those national retailers!" Wrong. National retailers do not care about your sales in a small retailer. Similar to building a startup, it takes roughly the same amount of energy to build a $10m biz as a $1b biz. You might as well try to build a $1b biz, and focus on national retailers.

Remember Foxtrot? The upscale corner store with a unique selection of products? Well, if you haven’t heard, they recently closed all of their stores and it was pretty abrupt. So what does that mean for the Foxtrot employees, featured brands, and investments? Head over to my blog to hear my thoughts on Foxtrot closing. https://lnkd.in/d5Qq2rFy Did you have a chance to shop in Foxtrot before their closure? Let me know in the comments. #foxtrotmarket #favoritedaughterfavoritethings #favoritedaughter

🚨 Major Move in the C-Store Industry 🚨 Couche-Tard’s acquisition of GetGo’s 270 C-stores marks a significant consolidation in the convenience store sector, particularly in the mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. This deal underscores the importance of strong food service and loyalty programs in today's competitive market. As more companies prioritize customer experience through innovative offerings, the implications for store operations, customer loyalty, and market share could be profound. Looking forward to seeing how this acquisition shapes the future landscape of convenience retail. Thoughts? #ConvenienceStores #RetailIndustry #Acquisition #CustomerExperience #LoyaltyPrograms #CStoreNews #MarketTrends #RetailInnovation

It's difficult to pinpoint what led to the demise of Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen & Market when both models seemed so promising. Some opinions are that it took too much venture capital and grew too quickly. Both businesses did have labor intensive models, including Dom's foodservice stalls that required labor capital to run and workers to take and make orders. Check out the latest from Jeff Wells from Grocery Dive: https://lnkd.in/eMvgn-Yj

🐺 Howl for Every Victory, Even the Little Ones! 🐺 At BuildYourWolfPack Coffee, we believe every achievement – big or small – deserves a celebration. 🥳 Whether it’s launching a new product, connecting with a new customer, or hitting a milestone in our journey, each victory fuels our passion and drives us forward. 💪 Howl for your victories, because each one is worth it. 🐾 #BuildYourWolfPack | #CelebrateTheWins | #LittleVictories | #BusinessJourney | #GrowthMindset