The Southern California grocery brand that has become synonymous with luxury and wellness is taking its first steps into New York City.
Erewhon said it plans to open a tonic bar within an exclusive West Village members’ club later this fall.
The tonic bar will serve members at Kith Ivy, a lifestyle and fitness club from Ronnie Fieg, chief executive of the popular streetwear brand Kith.
Kith Ivy will open to an “extremely limited” number of members this fall, the Kith website said.
The miniature Erewhon will be tucked away near cold plunge pools and a sauna at 120 Leroy Street in New York City, according to blue prints Fieg posted on Instagram.
The members’ club, which will also feature rooftop padel courts and dining from Cafe Mogador, reportedly comes with a hefty initiation fee of $36,000 and an annual fee of $7,000.
The price and exclusivity of Kith Ivy aligns with Erewhon’s own high-end reputation. In Los Angeles, the grocer is known for expensive specialty goods and celebrity-inspired drinks, like the $20 Hailey Bieber strawberry smoothie.
“Erewhon is going after those really premium customers,” said Jeff Wells, lead editor of the trade publication Grocery Dive. “If you’re succeeding in Southern California, New York would be the next logical place to go.”
Erewhon’s new tonic bar will offer a limited selection of drinks and smoothies, a company spokesperson said Wednesday. Only Kith Ivy members will be able to order in-person, but other New Yorkers within a select radius of the club can order drinks for delivery through Postmates and Uber Eats.
Erewhon has a loyal following in the Los Angeles area, where the company operates 11 locations and plans to open three more in West Hollywood, Glendale and Thousand Oaks. The company got its start in the 1960s as a health foods store in Boston before relocating to the West Coast.
The grocer’s foray into New York comes as other supermarket chains have cut back on costs. Kroger, the parent company of Ralph’s and Food 4 Less, is in the midst of closing locations and recently laid off nearly 1,000 corporate employees.
Unlike Ralphs, Erewhon has established itself as a luxury destination that caters largely to wealthy customers.
“Erewhon is all about being at the cutting edge of food and beverage, for a premium price,” Wells said. “Your average middle-class shopper can’t afford to shop there.”
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