Foxtrot expands in the Loop with new Willis Tower store opening next year
Chicago-based upscale convenience chain Foxtrot is betting workers will return to their offices with a new location in Willis Tower.
It will be the company’s first location in the Loop and is expected to open next spring, with a cafe and coffee bar that will also serve beer and wine, grab-and-go snacks and other essentials available for in-store shopping or 30-minute delivery.
Foxtrot’s 2,625-square-foot space will be on the ground floor of Willis Tower’s new five-story retail, dining and entertainment space, where restaurants like Shake Shack, Lettuce Entertain You’s Sushi-San and Do-Rite Donuts have already opened.
“We’ve always had our eye on the Loop and we’re excited to open our first-ever downtown Chicago location at such an iconic landmark like Willis Tower,” co-founder and CEO Mike LaVitola said in a statement. “The building’s recent renovation and launch of Catalog has created a dining destination not only for the people who work in the building, but also local residents and tourists in the area.”
There have been far fewer workers and tourists than there used to be during the coronavirus pandemic, and many companies are more open to hybrid work schedules. LaVitola said he believes buildings like Willis Tower “will continue to attract great companies with an engaged in-person workforce, even if there is now more flexibility than before.”
Earlier this year, Foxtrot said it planned to open 50 new stores within the next two years, saying it saw opportunities in locations left vacant when other retailers struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. Foxtrot recently opened its 10th Chicago location in the Gold Coast and stores in Fulton Market and Lakeview are expected to open in the coming months, the company said.
