Dive Brief:
- Vulpes LLC, owners of high-end Chicago grocer Fox & Obel, declared bankruptcy.
- The filing follows a three-day closing in July after the grocer failed its sixth health inspection in three years, with officials finding over 200 fruit flies and 30 cockroaches in the store.
- Paired with the health code violations are a laundry list of over 100 creditors, the largest of which being the IRS and Sysco, who it owes $382,000 and $345,000 respectively.
Dive Insight:
With growing competition from the likes of Whole Foods and smaller local players, it's no surprise that Fox & Obel's troubles finally caught up with it. Crain's Chicago Business reports that the grocer had trouble paying the rent and faced eviction multiple times, likely due to the mountain of debt it owed seemingly everyone under the food retail sun. While the 401 E. Illinois St. remains open, it's hard to imagine it staying that way, as it probably isn't likely to live down its new fruit fly- and cockroach-harboring reputation among its clientele anytime soon.