Erewhon sued in Culver City over a rent dispute

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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 decline...