via Google Street View
Beauty chain L’Occitane was sued by its landlord, The Vanbarton Group, for failing to pay $746,000 for rent, utilities and taxes for its location at 235 West 75th Street (alternate address is 2159 Broadway), Bisnow reports.
According to the lawsuit, L’Occitane didn’t pay its rent – $62,263 per month – between April and December. It also claims the company owes an additional $24,000 from unpaid property taxes and water bills. In addition, the landlord is asking for an additional $28,000 in interest.
According to Bisnow, L’Occitane signed a lease for the space in 2012, replacing former tenant The Body Shop.
The international retailer, officially L’Occitane en Provence, has stores all over the city, including a location at the Shops at Columbus Circle and on the corner of 69th and Columbus.
On quite a few occasions this year, we’ve seen landlords file lawsuits against large companies for non-payments of rent. In August, it was reported that Bloomingdale’s was sued by its landlord for unpaid rent payments for its outlet location on 72nd and Broadway [Bloomingdale’s is currently open].
Some of the bigger companies which have closed UWS locations this year:
Century 21: closed all 13 of its stores, which included a location on 66th and Broadway
Flying Tiger Copenhagen: closed all US stores including its location at 424 Columbus Avenue, between 80th and 81st Streets.
Jean Louis David: closed all four Manhattan locations, including one at 2146 Broadway, between 75th and 76th Streets.
Unleashed By Petco: closed its location at 159 Columbus Avenue, between 67th and 68th Streets.
Papyrus: closed all locations, including three on the UWS: 209 Columbus Avenue (between 69th and 70th Streets), 2157 Broadway (at 76th and Broadway), and their store at the Shops at Columbus Circle.
Between the Covid virus and being located in a hotel turned drug den what do you expect? Who is shopping? The area is dangerous for the above 2 reasons. Hope they can survive but I doubt it.
L’Occitane is NOT in a hotel.
You really just called the UWS a dangerous area??? ???
I completely agree with reasons addressing outrageous rents, greedy landlords – who deserve to be screwed if they woudn’t renegotiate rents – the decline of income, etc affecting most of the people in or neigjhborhood, and not specious arguments about the neighborhood being dangerous. If you feel it’s dangerous – just leave; maybe move to Tennessee or Florida or the Dakotas where you’ll find lots of protection, I’m sure.
i cannot comprehend how they pay $2,100 a day on rent/taxes/water. They are open 7 hours a day….are they pulling in $300 an hour? This is obviously ignoring COGS and staff.
Good Humor – I was thinking the same thing. That rent number can’t possibly be right.
Really, who cares, except for the employees. Occitane was such garbage: pretentious nonsense. Good riddance, I think.
They are not located in a hotel… get your facts straight X before you mouth off…..you sound stupid at best….. That store will be gone soon just like all the others next to them…..the city is cooked and not much will survive the virus.
In about 6- 8 months from now, the city will come back, just as it came back after the bird flu. With a negative attitude like yours, you sound stupid, at best…
Don’t like customer service at L’Occitaine. Used to use some products. I was totally discounted after making a consumer complaint. Don’t shop there any longer. I do not wish them well.
Stores started closing before Covid. The state/city need to give landlords incentives to rent at a lower price otherwise small businesses will never come back. It’s a ghost town.
The building they are in is the Astor, which has been going through a messy condo conversion with scaffolding and construction for seven years. There are a lot of unhappy condo owners, renters, and businesses in that building.