Foxtrot to open first store in Austin, Texas, this fall, with more on the way

Dive Brief:

Urban convenience-store chain Foxtrot Market will open its first store in Austin, Texas, this fall, located at the corner of South First and W Annie St., according to a social-media announcement.
The c-store will be Foxtrot’s first of three stores to debut in Austin, with the other two located at the corners of Burnet Road and Woodrow Ave.; and at W 23rd St. and Guadalupe St., according to Foxtrot’s website.
Foxtrot’s three-store expansion to Austin will bring the c-store chain’s total number of locations in Texas to five, with the other two being in Dallas.

Dive Insight:

Foxtrot’s first location in Austin will be the brand’s largest store to date at about 6,000 square feet, according to a report from CultureMap Austin. The store will include a large indoor-outdoor covered courtyard patio, as well as an all-day cafe and market, where customers can purchase breakfast tacos, pastries, salads, snacks, coffee, beer, soda and more.

Each of the new Austin locations will work with Foxtrot’s commissary kitchen for its foodservice operations, according to CultureMap Austin. Foxtrot hopes to add about 125 employees in the next year for these store openings.

Foxtrot first announced its eventual expansion to Austin in July 2021, when it revealed it was planning to open 50 locations across the U.S. over the course of two years. Those locations would be in new markets for Foxtrot which, besides Austin, also include New York City, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston.

At the time of the announcement, Foxtrot also said these upcoming locations will be twice as big as its current stores and feature on-site dining, revamped food menus and the brand's usual assortment of everyday essentials and personal care items.

Chicago-based Foxtrot currently operates 21 locations across the country, with 15 in its home city, three in Washington, D.C., two in Dallas and one in Alexandria, Virginia. The c-store chain will also soon be debuting a third Dallas location in the Knox-Henderson neighborhood. Last week, Foxtrot launched an app-focused two-tier loyalty program called “Membership” that offers perks like free drinks, snacks and exclusive merchandise.