Synonymous with gastronomic luxury and excess for 42 years, the Dean & DeLuca high-end grocery chain is in trouble. In 2018, it backed out of three leases in Manhattan and pulled the plug on a second Washington, D.C.-area store. It abruptly closed all four of its Charlotte locations in April 2018, and shortly after that its Maryland and Wichita locations.
The Upper East Side location on Madison Avenue in New York ceased operation this June 30 and the St. Helena, Calif., store was shuttered on July 4, both considered flagship stores.
This could herald hard times for other fabled ultra-premium grocers.
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