Residents of three Chicago suburbs will soon need to find a new place to do their grocery shopping as Mariano's, operated by its parent company Kroger, is poised to close multiple locations. According to a report by NBC Chicago, the stores in Buffalo Grove, Bloomingdale, and Northbrook are slated to shut down by the end of next month due to a broader corporate strategy to improve efficiency and secure the company's future viability.
The first closure is earmarked for the store at 450 Half Day Rd. in Buffalo Grove on August 8. Soon after, on August 15, the 244 S. Gary Ave. store in Bloomingdale will follow suit, and with the store located at 2323 Capital Dr. in Northbrook closing up on August 22, residents in the Northbrook area will be shopping for groceries elsewhere. WGN-TV reports that all employees affected by the closures are anticipated to receive offers for positions at other Kroger locations.
Kroger's move to close as many as 60 Mariano's stores nationwide over the next 18 months was revealed during the company's first-quarter earnings call, which outlined significant restructuring plans. A "modest financial benefit" is expected from the closures, according to a statement obtained by NBC Chicago, suggesting Kroger's intent to reinvest savings into enhancing the customer experience.
Last year's attempted merger between Kroger and Albertsons, the grocery giant behind Jewel-Osco, which was blocked by a judge after it raised substantial antitrust concerns, has continued to send ripples through the grocery industry. The companies, in efforts reportedly to salvage the $24.6 billion deal, had reached arrangements to offload a selection of stores – a strategy ultimately left fruitless as the union came undone. Echoing concerns for the grocery market's competitive landscape, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a group of his peers nationwide in decrying the planned merger, arguing that it would have "greatly reduced competition in the grocery market," as told to NBC Chicago.
