FOXTROT RAISES $100 MILLION SERIES C TO ACCELERATE NATIONAL RETAIL EXPANSION OF ITS DIGITAL-FIRST, OMNICHANNEL CORNER STORE

CHICAGO, Jan. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Foxtrot, the modern convenience store marrying in store curated discovery with rapid 30-minute delivery and 5-minute pickup convenience, today announced $100 million in Series C funding led by D1 Capital Partners with continued participation from existing investors Monogram, Imaginary, Almanac, Wittington, Fifth Wall and Beliade and joining historical investors Lerer Hippeau and Revolution. The Series C brings total funding to $160 million.

Founded by Mike LaVitola and Taylor Bloom in 2014, Foxtrot was created to modernize the nostalgic corner store experience by creating a digital-first ecommerce platform paired with a beautiful retail experience that fulfills daily needs with the most delicious local purveyors alongside new, trending brands from around the world.

Since launching first as a digital-only delivery service, Foxtrot has since opened 16 brick and mortar locations across Chicago, Dallas and DC, each offering rapid, on-demand delivery and 5-minute pickup, introduced a national shipping platform, called Foxtrot Anywhere, and pioneered industry-leading technology to support its one-of-a-kind omnichannel operating model.

Leveraging the brand's customer loyalty and regional cult followings, Foxtrot will use this fresh influx of capital to open 25 new stores in 2022, which will include entrance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood and the brand's debut in Austin with two stores, on South First and The Drag, plus notable openings in Chicago's iconic Willis Tower, Tribune Tower and near Wrigley Field. In 2023 and beyond, Foxtrot will continue expansion to additional markets such as New York, Nashville and Miami, while simultaneously also expanding its presence in current regions.

Foxtrot will also focus on scaling its proven merchandising model, which melds the best of local artisans with core pantry essentials, favorite treats and hand-picked wines, spirits and local beers. Driven by customer demand, Foxtrot is also investing in a deeper private label assortment around meal-times, doubling down on its core offerings of coffee, ready-to-eat cafe meals and wine, all optimized for both delivery and pickup.

To power its internally developed omnichannel operating system, Foxtrot will prioritize hiring engineering talent, with a plan to triple the team's size over the next 12 months, bringing on dedicated hires to optimize logistics, store payments, inventory management, personalization and Perks, Foxtrot's loyalty program.

"As we exit the pandemic and our lives continue to normalize following a challenging and eye-opening two years, we expect that retail and hospitality will become increasingly important in creating a sense of community and driving discovery in a world that's been lacking this experience for quite some time," said Mike LaVitola, Co-Founder and CEO of Foxtrot. "With this new round of funding, we'll continue to accelerate the expansion of our brick and mortar presence, enter new and emerging markets and double down on new store formats that answer consumer demand for immersive programming and highly curated assortment.  Our investments in technology will enhance our retail experience and drive omnichannel growth. We look forward to bringing Foxtrot to new neighborhoods, and highlighting the small makers that make our industry so exciting."

As shopping and dining habits have shifted in a post-pandemic world, Foxtrot's omnichannel shopping, supported by Perks, has grown +110% YTD.  With further investments in personalization and omnichannel digital UX, Foxtrot will focus on further fostering customer loyalty to drive effective customer acquisition, deepen engagement across the whole suite of offerings, and garner stickier customer behavior.

At the core of Foxtrot's capabilities is its unique operating model, which leverages retail stores as delivery hubs.  Foxtrot will invest in logistics technology to power 30-minute delivery while optimizing store designs and UX design for 5-minute in store pick up.  Foxtrot's 5-minute market pickup has grown 250% this year, with cafe orders within the channel increasing at an even faster clip - +375% YTD.

"Foxtrot's track record for creating neighborhood spaces that drive repeat visits and habitual purchase has made it a clear leader in trend prediction and understanding what the future of retail will look like," said Jared Stein, Co-Founder of Monogram Capital and Foxtrot Board member. "As Foxtrot expands its omnichannel footprint, the potential for scale on a national level is limitless as the brand looks to reimagine what convenience means to today's consumer." 

As Foxtrot accelerates growth, its dedication to the core practices that made it a local favorite will remain of utmost importance. The brand's highly curated merchandising strategy promotes a sense of discovery and local community.  And while it will continue to curate the best of the best in new, trending food products, it will allocate nearly a quarter of all shelf space to locally sourced items from neighborhood artisans and to emerging purveyors. 

Foxtrot's love of food will drive more private label product growth.  After 5 years of working to reinvent the convenience and corner store experience and interacting with its loyal customers, Foxtrot identified a white space in CPG retail via its customer data: private label products rooted in deliciousness and design. Since introducing private label products one year ago, the assortment of Foxtrot branded and created labels now account for nearly 30% of all retail offerings, and nearly half of all brick and mortar and online sales. Over the next year, Foxtrot plans to create and launch ~200 new private label SKUS that will underscore the brand's key category differentiator of brand creation and voice, expanding on the current favorite product lines and entertaining completely new categories. Foxtrot's private label products will continue to serve as a complementary offering to the brand's company lifeblood of emerging brand partners and local purveyors.

For more information, please visit www.foxtrotco.com, and follow Foxtrot at @foxtrotmarket.

ABOUT FOXTROT

Foxtrot is redefining convenience for the modern consumer, marrying the best of neighborhood retail and ecommerce technology to create a community of discovery. Its spaces offer all the most loved aspects of neighborhood cafes, and you can turn to the Foxtrot app for 30-minute delivery and 5-minute pick up of a city's best goods from local beers and fine wines to chef prepared meals, curated gifts and everyday essentials. Foxtrot also offers a collection of curated goods and gift boxes available nationwide via its national shipping site. For more information, visit foxtrotco.com or download in the App Store.

SOURCE Foxtrot