Tech-enabled convenience store chain Foxtrot is expanding to DC with $17M growth round

After closing a $17 million growth funding round, Chicago-based Foxtrot is expanding to D.C.

Launched in 2013, the company has coined itself “the corner store and cafe for the modern consumer,” since it manages tech-enabled convenience stores that feature local products. You can shop IRL, but through the company’s apps for iOS and Android, customers can make orders from home and see them delivered in under an hour. Consumers can also order items through Foxtrot’s website.

With this latest round of funding, which includes an investment from D.C.-based Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Foxtrot plans to hire new employees, open its eighth Chicago location and bring two stores to D.C. this spring in the Georgetown and Mount Vernon Square neighborhoods. This expansion brings the company to 12 locations across Dallas, D.C. and Chicago. Foxtrot reported that it has plans to announce additional markets later on this year.

See you soon, D.C.! We’re coming to Georgetown and Mount Vernon this spring, and bringing our on-demand delivery with us. https://t.co/6dItAjCF1l

— Foxtrot (@foxtrotmarket) February 5, 2020

Foxtrot has been looking to expand to the District for about two years, a Foxtrot spokesperson told Technical.ly. The company’s team researched various neighborhoods throughout D.C. and ultimately narrowed it down to two. Foxtrot cofounder and CEO Mike LaVitola said that the Georgetown neighborhood reminded him and the team of Chicago’s Lincoln Park, while Mount Vernon reminded them of their stores in River North.

“We started Foxtrot to create a better way to shop for the goods we all buy everyday — wrapped in a new kind of convenience store that combines the enjoyment of visiting your neighborhood corner store with the ease of shopping from your phone,” LaVitola said in a statement.

Foxtrot will set up shop at 1267 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Georgetown, which is on the same block as Apple Georgetown. The company hasn’t released an address yet for its Mount Vernon Square location. Customers can expect to shop for food and everyday essentials from local brands, as well as Foxtrot-branded items. You’ll be able to find goods from local beers and fine wines to chef-prepared meals, curated gifts, an onsite café and more.

“We have over 100 vendor partners, we’re working with to curate our D.C. assortment, and we’ll also be doing an open call in the near future to meet with even more local makers in the area,” the Foxtrot spokesperson said.

Foxtrot plans to hire across a variety of departments including retail, hospitality and delivery roles for its upcoming D.C. stores.

“Foxtrot has built a brand that redefines the perception of what convenience stores can and should be for today’s consumers by marrying its digital roots with brick-and-mortar, focusing on community, and bringing people into the stories around their product,” said Nick Brown, cofounder and managing partner at Imaginary, which co-led on Foxtrot’s latest funding round.