Olympia Fields officials are hoping that incentives from the village and a new, cheaper lease will persuade Supervalu, the owner of Jewel-Osco, to reconsider its decision to close a store in the village.
Supervalu said last week it would close the supermarket at the southwest corner of U.S. 30 and Western Avenue at the end of August. Osco will close July 15.
Sales at the store, which has been in Olympia Fields for 23 years, “were not meeting company goals,” Karen May, a spokeswoman for Jewel-Osco, said Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) called on state officials, including Gov. Pat Quinn, to commit state resources to keep the store open.
“Jewel-Osco is a cornerstone in any community,” Jackson said in a news release. “The state has plenty of incentive programs to assist businesses through these tough times.”
The store is located in Olympia Corners, which was previously owned by Centro Properties Group, an Australian company. A unit of The Blackstone Group said last week it had closed on a previously announced deal to pay $9 billion for Centro’s U.S. retail assets, including the Olympia Fields shopping center.
David Mekarski, Olympia Fields’ village administrator, said the village had been in talks with Supervalu for two years in an attempt to persuade it to invest more into the aging store. He said the store’s “appearance, (product) offerings and ambiance” were “not on par with other Jewel stores” in the Chicago area.
Some Olympia Fields residents preferred to shop at Jewel stores in other communities, including Homewood and Frankfort, Mekarski said. The closing would leave Olympia Fields with one grocery store, Bizios Fresh Market, at Governors Highway and Vollmer Road.
Supervalu had been considering a $3 million upgrade of the Olympia Fields store but sought more favorable lease terms from Centro as well as incentives from the village before agreeing to the investment, Mekarski said.
He said he hoped Supervalu would hold off on closing the store in light of the shopping center now being under new ownership and a promise from the village to offer incentives.
Supervalu said last week it would close the supermarket at the southwest corner of U.S. 30 and Western Avenue at the end of August. Osco will close July 15.
Sales at the store, which has been in Olympia Fields for 23 years, “were not meeting company goals,” Karen May, a spokeswoman for Jewel-Osco, said Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) called on state officials, including Gov. Pat Quinn, to commit state resources to keep the store open.
“Jewel-Osco is a cornerstone in any community,” Jackson said in a news release. “The state has plenty of incentive programs to assist businesses through these tough times.”
David Mekarski, Olympia Fields’ village administrator, said the village had been in talks with Supervalu for two years in an attempt to persuade it to invest more into the aging store. He said the store’s “appearance, (product) offerings and ambiance” were “not on par with other Jewel stores” in the Chicago area.
Some Olympia Fields residents preferred to shop at Jewel stores in other communities, including Homewood and Frankfort, Mekarski said. The closing would leave Olympia Fields with one grocery store, Bizios Fresh Market, at Governors Highway and Vollmer Road.
Supervalu had been considering a $3 million upgrade of the Olympia Fields store but sought more favorable lease terms from Centro as well as incentives from the village before agreeing to the investment, Mekarski said.
He said he hoped Supervalu would hold off on closing the store in light of the shopping center now being under new ownership and a promise from the village to offer incentives.
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