Dive Brief:

• Upscale convenience-store chain Foxtrot Markets plans to open its latest store on Nov. 18 at Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Maryland – its first in the state and fifth in the greater Washington, D.C., area, according to an emailed press release.
• The neighborhood-focused retailer’s emphasis on bringing local goods to customers continues at the Maryland location, with a variety of food items like cookies, coffee and gelato from area businesses. 
• Foxtrot has tied its app into the opening festivities, encouraging more people to download the app during opening week by offering prizes for users.

Dive Insight:

With its latest store, Foxtrot continues its focus on offering unique products along with dining and drinking experiences. The 4,000-square-foot c-store includes retail space, an all-day cafe and several dining spots, including an interior bar and an outdoor patio for warmer weather.

Among the Maryland and Washington-D.C.-area brands on sale in the store are Ceremony Coffee Beans, Dolcezza Gelato, Cookie by Drew, Manor Hill and Little Sesame hummus. All told, Foxtrot carries more than 150 local products from 50 area suppliers.

Tying in the opening with the app can help introduce customers to the company’s two-tiered membership program that launched in late September. 

App users are eligible for Membership after they place their first order online for delivery or pickup, and then can activate the membership in the app. Perks include early access to new products, a free cafe drink per month, popcorn, lower Happy Hour prices and more. 

The second tier, Membership+, gets unlocked when a customer spends $100 or more in a month, and they retain that membership for the balance of that month as well as the next. Membership+ members get low-priced access to a variety of drinks, free delivery and the “Members+ Aisle,” with exclusive items for sale, among other benefits.

Membership and Membership+ replaced the company’s former Perks program.

Chicago-based Foxtrot initially came to the Washington, D.C., area in March 2021. The other four locations are in Dupont, Mount Vernon Triangle and Georgetown in Washington, D.C.; and in Old Town Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia. 

The new store is slated to be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It will mark the 23rd Foxtrot location across the Washington, D.C., Dallas and Chicago areas, with plans to open another Dallas location soon and expand into Austin, Texas, with four locations in 2023.