Independent Grocers Aiming To Buy 10 Dominick's Stores
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Dec 20, 2013 2:30PM
With a little more than a week before Dominick’s grocery stores become a ghost of Chicago’s past it looks like more of the stores will have new lives. Joliet-based Central Grocers Inc., which operates the Centrella supermarket cooperative that includes Treasure Island and Strack & Van Til, among others, is reportedly negotiating to purchase 10 soon-to-be-shuttered Dominick’s locations. Centrella also has the Tony's Finer Foods brand in its collective.
Crain’s Chicago Business has the deets:
The group has hired food industry investment banker David Schoeder to negotiate the package deal with Dominick's parent, Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc., which announced it would leave the Chicago market.Mr. Schoeder, a principal with Food Partners LLC in Washington, declined to comment. A Centrella executive could not immediately be reached this evening.
No one would comment on the record to Crain’s about this development but, if Central Foods does broker a deal, it would bring the total number of former Dominick’s stores bought by other supermarket chains to 25. Jewel purchased four locations including stores on North Clybourn and South Canal they hope to have fully transitioned into Jewels by mid-January. Roundy’s announced a $36 million deal for 11 locations the Milwaukee-based supermarket chain will convert into Mariano’s Fresh Markets.
Jewel-Osco spokeswoman Allison Sperling told Crain’s the company “will consider any opportunities that arise” to take over shuttered Dominick’s locations.
Related:
Dominick's Parent Company Leaving Chicago Market
Dominick's Started Discounting All Items Before Year-End Closure
Jewel-Osco Offering One-Time Only Discount To Dominick's Shoppers