Well-known American gourmet chain Dean & DeLuca will open its first European store in London, good news for foodies with an unlimited budget…
International expansion
Reports in the British medai state that the delicasies chain will open a store in Mount Street early next year, in the fancy London Mayfair district, located between Hyde Park and SoHo). Dean & Deluca is apparently already targeting other British store locations, but there was no information about whether it would come to mainland Europe as well.
The company, founded in 1977 by Giorgio DeLuca and Joel Dean, was meant to give customers the joy of fine dining and food. Its very first store opened in Manhattan and it now has 11 stores in the United States and additional locations all across the globe, in Japan, Kuwait, Dubai, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines. The retailer uses several formulas: markets (large stores that combine retail and food service), restaurants and bars.
Quite expensive
Dean & DeLuca will join a raft of major (and expensive) companies like Marc Jacobs, Linda Farrow, Christian Louboutin, Céline and Ralph Lauren in Mount Street. Customers of the luxury chain do not consider money an issue. A cherry clafoutis costs 40 dollars, a plate of French cheeses 75 dollars and a a collection of 42 teabags also costs 75 dollars.
Dean & DeLuca became world famous when it was a conspicuous part of the novel American Psycho (Bret Easton Ellis, 1991) and the movie Hannibal (2001). Plenty of celebrities (including Taylor Swift and Helen Mirren) are self-appointed fans.