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Erewhon Market

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Erewhon Market
Company typePrivately held company
Industry
Founded1966; 59 years ago (1966)[1] (as part of Erewhon Organic)
Founders
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Number of locations
10[2]
Areas served
Los Angeles County, California
Key people
  • Tony Antoci (CEO)
  • Josephine Antoci (President)
  • Vito Antoci (EVP)
Number of employees
approx. 2500[3]
Websiteerewhonmarket.com

Erewhon Market (/ˈɛrɛhwɒn/ ERR-eh-hwon) is an American upscale grocery chain with ten locations, all in Los Angeles County, California.[4][5][6]

In June 2021, Erewhon became a Certified B Corporation, recognizing its commitment to social and environmental responsibility.[7]

History

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Erewhon was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1966 by Michio and Aveline Kushi.[1][8][9][10] The name "Erewhon" is derived from the 1872 satirical novel Erewhon by Samuel Butler. In the novel, Erewhon, an anagram of "nowhere," is a utopia in which individuals are responsible for their own health and prosecuted for the crime of being ill.[11]

The Erewhon Organic brand was originally a health foods producer with a single store in Boston. The Kushis moved to Los Angeles and opened Erewhon's oldest operating location, in the Fairfax District, in 1969. In 1979, the brand was purchased from bankruptcy by employee Tom DeSilva.[12] In 2011, Tony and Josephine Antoci purchased the Fairfax District store from the widow of Tom DeSilva.[13][14][15] The Antocis created and developed the brand into an upscale supermarket.[16]

Following several years of increasing financial performance, New York–based private equity firm Stripes Group purchased a substantial minority stake in Erewhon in 2019.[16]

With ten locations in Los Angeles County,[2] the brand has been compared to the early years of Whole Foods Market.[17]

As of 2023, Erewhon ships nationwide to all 50 states, as well as Australia, Canada and the UK.[18]

In 2024, Erewhon filed an environmental lawsuit to block the construction of a mixed-use development which would include 520 apartments (78 of which were subsidized affordable housing), ground floor retail and restaurants on the lot of the vacant Sportsmen's Lodge hotel near its Studio City location.[19]

Locations

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Upcoming locations

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Three new locations have been announced for opening in 2025: in Glendale, West Hollywood, and Manhattan Beach.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Our Story | Erewhon Market". Erewhon. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Locations". Erewhon Market. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  3. ^ https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-01-22/erewhon-to-open-three-new-stores
  4. ^ Howley, Kerry (November 6, 2023). "Erewhon's Secrets". The Cut.
  5. ^ "What Is Erewhon? All About the Celebrity-Loved Grocery Store Chain". Peoplemag. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  6. ^ Delouya, Samantha. "I compared the prices at Los Angeles's high-end grocery store Erewhon with 2 other popular markets". Business Insider. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  7. ^ https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/erewhon/
  8. ^ Martin, Douglas (July 23, 2001). "Aveline Kushi, 78, Advocate of Macrobiotic Diet for Health". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Lewin, Tamar (January 5, 2015). "Michio Kushi, Advocate of Natural Foods in the U.S., Dies at 88". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  10. ^ Berlinger, Max (February 17, 2021). "How Erewhon Became L.A.'s Hottest Hangout". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "13 Inspiring Business Branding Examples for Strong Brand Positioning". January 13, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  12. ^ Howley, Kerry (November 6, 2023). "Erewhon's Secrets". The Cut. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Grocer is on a natural growth path Los Angeles Times, Ronald D. White, January 31, 2016
  14. ^ Hoberman, Natalie (April 20, 2018). "Tony and Josephine Antoci | Betty Warner | Brentwood". The Real Deal. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  15. ^ "History of Erewhon – Natural Foods Pioneer in the United States (1966–2011)". SoyInfo Center. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Organic Grocer Erewhon Eyes Expansion After Private Equity Deal Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, October 7, 2019
  17. ^ Erewhon's New Store Calls To Mind Whole Foods' Beginnings Forbes, Phil Lempert, April 11, 2018
  18. ^ "Erewhon". Erewhon. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Erewhon sues city to stop Sportsmen's Lodge development in Studio City". Los Angeles Times. May 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Fear and Loathing at Erewhon, the High-Margin Grocery Store That Might Just Take Over the World Or at least Los Angeles… Los Angeles, Steven Blum, August 19, 2019
  21. ^ Ginsberg, Merle (September 1, 2022). "The Well-Heeled Hungry Converge on New Beverly Drive Erewhon". Los Angeles.
  22. ^ Andrea Chang (December 9, 2021). "How Erewhon made luxury groceries a lifestyle". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022.
  23. ^ RDC Architecture News (23 March 2023) Erewhon Opens New Location in Culver City
  24. ^ Calayag, Keith (September 6, 2023). "Erewhon Pasadena Opens on Sept. 13". Pasadena Now.
  25. ^ "Organic Grocer Erewhon Coming to Iconic South Lake Avenue Building". Pasadena Now. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  26. ^ "'Erewhon 2.0' is coming with three new locations opening in 2025". Los Angeles Times. January 22, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
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