Trendy Erewhon, the reigning Rolls-Royce of grocery stores, has fallen behind in rent payments for its Culver City outpost, its landlord says.
Erewhon is being sued for more than $275,000 by Hackman Capital Partners, an international real estate giant based in Culver City with a property portfolio that includes famous movie studios, office buildings and stores.
Among Hackman properties is Culver Steps, a popular office and retail complex where Erewhon is an anchor tenant and attraction for visitors who linger in the center’s outdoor spaces. It’s near Hackman’s Culver Studios, where Amazon makes movies and shows.
As is typical at Erewhon, the fare at the Culver City store is pricey: $33 for a fish combo plate, $18.50 for a bacon and egg breakfast burrito and $23 for poke nachos in the cafe. The new antioxidant-rich You’re Doing Amazing Smoothie by Kris Jenner costs $22.
The grocer didn’t respond to a request for comment, but a retail property expert familiar with store leases estimated that Erewhon would need to gross more than $1 million per week to cover the Culver City rent disclosed in the recent lawsuit.
“Erewhon could be doing fabulously and still not be doing $1 million in sales a week,” Bay Area real estate consultant David Greensfelder said.
Erewhon’s rent is $85,000 a month, the lawsuit says, plus additional charges to cover Hackman’s maintenance of the property, taxes and other fees that Greensfelder estimates could push Erewhon’s monthly property bill to more than $100,000.
“Erewhon has famously high prices,” Greensfelder said, and no doubt appeals to Culver City’s young professionals grabbing expensive salads to go at lunchtime, “but it takes a lot of those sales to support $105,000 in rent.”
In a breach-of-lease complaint filed in Superior Court, Hackman said Erewhon is liable for more than $275,000 in unpaid rent and legal fees.
Hackman declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Erewhon may be hoping to get a rent reduction, Greensfelder said. “This sounds a little like negotiations through litigation.”
The grocer has also been involved in litigation with its landlord in Studio City that included a claim that Erewhon fell behind in its rent there. Erewhon accused the landlord, Midwood Investment and Development, of improperly increasing rent.
Erewhon opened its newest location in Glendale this month. It owns that property at 520 N. Glendale Ave., a former hardware store that Erewhon purchased in 2024 and redeveloped.
Founded in Los Angeles, Erewhon has locations in several of Southern California’s wealthiest areas, including Calabasas and Beverly Hills. It also has stores in Venice, Manhattan Beach and at the Grove shopping center.
Josephine and Tony Antoci bought the company in 2011 and helped launch it to its luxury status with a cult-like following. Tony serves as chief executive while Josephine handpicks much of the store’s merchandise.
By the mid-2010s, Erewhon had become a watering hole for celebrities such as the Kardashians and the Beckhams.
Times staff writer Caroline Petrow-Cohen contributed to this report.
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