Fika, the swanky Swedish coffee shop, filed for chapter 11 protection on Friday, the New York Post reported. There are now just seven locations in Manhattan — down from 14 last March. At its peak, the chain had operated as many as 20 New York stores since it first set up shop in the Big Apple in 2006. The coffee chain, which in addition to coffee sold homemade chocolate, bakery items and sandwiches, had between $10 million and $50 million in debts and up to $1 million in assets, according to its bankruptcy filing in the Southern District of New York. Among its creditors are about eight real estate firms that are owed substantial amounts of back rent, including Related Companies, which is owed $276,957 for a location at 157 Seventh Ave., according to the filing.
