The once-mighty grocery app that bought FreshDirect has now become a defaulting tenant that owes millions of dollars, according to a series of damning new lawsuits in Manhattan.
Turkey-based app Getir owes landlords nearly $4 million in unpaid rent and lease obligations at nine locations across the city as of 2022 – and has even abandoned some of its stores even though the expensive leases still have years to run, according to Supreme Court lawsuits.
The company has its own food supply, which it distributes to rented locations on site and accepts customer orders via a phone app. Delivery is made by e-bike.
Getir, which was worth a whopping $12 billion at its peak, bought grocery delivery pioneer FreshDirect in November – and almost immediately reported a huge cash loss.
According to one of the Manhattan lawsuits, Getir owes more than $360,000 in back rent, taxes and utilities for its rental space at 114 W, 26th St. The company has not paid its bills for nearly a year, the lawsuit says.
At East 40th Street, Getir also failed to pay rent and other bills totaling more than $283,000, according to court records.
Legal documents for a building on East 74th Street say Getir failed to pay five months’ rent last year, totaling more than $100,000.
In Brooklyn Heights, a landlord said Getir owed him an amount “allegedly exceeding $550,000.”
An East Harlem landlord also said Getir left him with $1.5 million in back rent and outstanding lease obligations. While that case was settled earlier this month, the other eight lawsuits remain open.
The leases contain acceleration clauses. If a commercial tenant fails to fulfill their lease, landlords can generally demand that the entire rent be paid immediately, resulting in a staggering sum.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that Getir owes $88,000 in unpaid rent for his abandoned West 35th Street storefront, plus future rent obligations totaling $950,442.
The landlord of the abandoned West 35th Street storefront says he has already used Getir’s $101,846 security deposit to pay off some of the debt, court records show.
Getir did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the post.
