I understand that the Bannockburn store is still in a legal battle with their landlord and that there may be several other chains trying to get the location, but for now they are required to stay open. It looks like they are no longer bringing in any new produce, seafood, or meat. The deli and gourmet cheese section is well stocked, with much of it at deep discount, and there are about 5 aisles of toilet paper at regular price, but otherwise it is pretty much hit or miss.

-Will

I saw the new Jewel Osco circle logo installed on the sign at a location on Fullerton/Clybourn that used to be a Dominick's today.

NFriday wrote:Hi- Sorry you went on a wild good chase. The Bannockburn store from what I've seen posted and as you found out, is not 50% off today. The Aurora, Shorewood and Buffalo Grove stores are 50% off. I don't know about the rest of the stores, and so it is better to call up the store before you head on over there unless you live in the neighborhood.

Hi,

I did visit Buffalo Grove where I scored 166 cans of cat food. I skipped the grilled variants of Fancy Feast, which my cat does not like. To make life easier on everyone, cans were stacked five deep to allow the cashier and manager to do a head count X price. It would have been nutty to do those cans one at a time.

This store is/was fully stocked with a wide range of products. Fresh meat, deli counter, milk, liquor and produce were not discounted. Just about everything else was 50% or more off.

The gal behind me had many chocolate bars and Zantac, for s'mores and acid-reflux. How dare I comment with 166 cans of cat food plus 80 cans bought before Christmas, I won't need any more until late summer.

Regards,

Hi- This sale was not mentioned on the news, and that is why the crowds were not as big. Somebody on Jill's site posted yesterday that she went to the Gurnee store, and it only took her 45 minutes to check out, as opposed to the hour and a half it took her at another store last month. While she was waiting in line, there was somebody with 15 carts of bottled water and cereal. Apparently he helped himself to all the bottled water, and most of the cereal. He had a moving truck to haul all the stuff away. Don't go to the Gurnee store expecting to find bottled water though. I am glad that you got lots of cheap cat food. I believe they still accept coupons too, although the chances that you would have coupons for all the 166 cans of cat food are remote unless you are an extreme couponer.

I mostly scored on frozen, yogurt and cheese and some canned goods last month. I got 12 containers of yogurt for a quarter each, and I got six packages of cheese for I believe $.75 a package. I also got tons of frozen dinners that I am still eating, that I mostly paid $.50 for.

I went to the Wilmette Jewel on Green Bay again this last Saturday, and it was still super busy, but not as bad as it was the Saturday before, and at least I found a cart right away. I am sure that the closing of all the Dominick's stores is wonderful for business at Jewel.

Hi= An employee of the Buffalo Grove Dominick's on Half Day Road just posted on Jill Cataldo's site that the liquor at that store is going to be on sale for 30% off starting tomorrow morning 1/17. Every thing else in the store is going to be 50% off including the produce, deli and fresh meat. This markdown I assume is going to take place at all the other remaining Dominick's stores except the Bannockburn store, but you might want to call the store before you head on over there. The other Dominick's stores that remain open include the Aurora store, Sherwood, Gurnee, Westchester and the Bridgeport store. When they marked the liquor down at the recently closed stores last month, I heard that the liquor went fast, with the beer being first to go, and the wine being last. Apparently at the Lake in the Hills store, things got so bad that they had to keep the front entrance locked, and let people in and out individually. Apparently people were loading up their shopping cart with booze, and walking out of the store without paying for it.

Hi- Does anybody have any idea when the lease expires for the Bannockburn location?

Hi- I was at the Jewel on Green Bay again this afternoon, and they were super busy again, and I finally gave up trying to find a parking place, and parked in the second lot on the other side of the street. While I was there I decided to get a flu shot. Somebody told me that if you tell them you are a former Dominick's shopper, that they will give you a $25 gift card. Thar did not work I found out, but I got the flu shot anyway, and hopefully my insurance will cover it.

While the pharmacist was giving me the flu shot, I mentioned to him how busier the store has gotten since Dominick's closed. It turns out that he worked at the Dominick's Green Bay store until it closed. When I mentioned that I heard that Whole Foods was not taking over that store, he told me that they were going to close their South Evanston store, and relocate to Green Bay, but they could not get out of their lease, and so that is why the deal fell through. I mentioned that I wished that Mariano's would have taken over the store, and he told me that they considered the location, but they decided that there was not enough parking. Hope this helps, Nancy

Back when Dominick's was closing down one store at a time, a friend of mine, who was a Jewel Store Manager, said that his store's sales went up about 30% as it was located about three blocks from the closed stores.

If I were Jewel, I would make every effort to capture S much market share as possible before some of the smaller competitors do. So many of the former Dominicks shoppers were shoppers who ONLY shopped at that store.

It seems like every cab I get into has a Jewel ad running on those obnoxious in-cab tv's that say something like "we'd never leave Chicago" so Jewel clearly is making their move but I never felt like their stores were quite up to date or really clean, etc so I skip them.

Bannockburn -
If in the area and you have a need for Philly cream cheese, the tubs and bricks are 67 for 8 oz, and 1.50 for the big ones. Even whipped. Didn't look like the flavored ones were a part of this. There were TONS. I just grabbed two small whipped. Dated end of April.

Hi- On one of the couponing sites that I visit, somebody just posted yesterday that she called up the Bannockburn store, and they told her that they are closing on 1/25/ I don't know what they are going to do with all of their stuff they have left. Maybe Kathy can get a deal on some more cat food.

Just stopped by and they have several decent cheeses for $1 per pound. large containers of dominicks fresh baked red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips for $1. half gallon Zieglers cider, expiring today, $1. Still plenty of cream cheese at 75% off.

-Will

Hi,

Stopped by Bannockburn around noon, there was a large 75% off sign for perishables: dairy, deli, meat and frozen foods. Produce was non-existent. Deli was selling everything for $2.99 a pound less 75% or 75 cents a pound.

Most fresh meat was gone, though there was bacon, sausage, smoked butt and hog casings. There was some milk left, lots of cream cheese, lots of frozen foods, juices and ice cream.

I spent $75, which means it was $300 prior to the sale.

Regards,

Hi- Somebody posted over on Jill Cataldo's site, that somebody at the store told her that the store might stay open indefinitely, and only sell nonperishable stuff after all the perishable stuff gets gone.. They did not know when the nonperishable stuff was going on sale. I would go there if I lived closer to there, but it is too cold today, and I have finally decided to go to Sam's Club to get a new battery for my car. It is supposed to get 17 below Monday night again.

Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market IGA, a family-owned grocer that operates three stores in Chicago's northwest suburbs, has purchased four former Dominick's locations in Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Elk Grove Village.

The Northbrook and Arlington Heights stores will reopen at the end of March or in early April, according to a spokeswoman. The Elk Grove Village location will open shortly thereafter. The Des Plaines store, which is larger than the rest, will not be refinished and open to the public until the end of this year.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... -dominicks

Dave148 wrote:

Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market IGA, a family-owned grocer that operates three stores in Chicago's northwest suburbs, has purchased four former Dominick's locations in Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Elk Grove Village.

The Northbrook and Arlington Heights stores will reopen at the end of March or in early April, according to a spokeswoman. The Elk Grove Village location will open shortly thereafter. The Des Plaines store, which is larger than the rest, will not be refinished and open to the public until the end of this year.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... -dominicks

DAMN! The Lake street store in Oak Park is gonna be vacant forever.

Hi-Both of the Dominick's stores in Evanston are going to remain vacant for the foreseeable future. I wish somebody would move in the Green Bay store. Right now Jewel down the street is making a killing. Every Saturday when I stop in there, it is crazy busy.

Does anybody know what is going on with the Dominick's on Howard, near the L stop?

I thought somebody was going to take over one of the Oak Park stores?

Dave148 wrote:

Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market IGA, a family-owned grocer that operates three stores in Chicago's northwest suburbs, has purchased four former Dominick's locations in Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Elk Grove Village.

... The Des Plaines store, which is larger than the rest, will not be refinished and open to the public until the end of this year.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... -dominicks

Caputo's owns the shopping center where the Des Plaines Dom's was... and there had already been plans to eventually relocate their Oakton (tiny) store there. I think Dominick's leaving the area accelerated their timeline.

Hi- I heard on mashupmom that Pete's is taking over the Oak Park Dominick's, but it won't happen until towards the end of this year.

zoid wrote:

Dave148 wrote:

Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market IGA, a family-owned grocer that operates three stores in Chicago's northwest suburbs, has purchased four former Dominick's locations in Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Des Plaines and Elk Grove Village.

The Northbrook and Arlington Heights stores will reopen at the end of March or in early April, according to a spokeswoman. The Elk Grove Village location will open shortly thereafter. The Des Plaines store, which is larger than the rest, will not be refinished and open to the public until the end of this year.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... -dominicks

DAMN! The Lake street store in Oak Park is gonna be vacant forever.

Same with Palos Heights it feels like

Tony's Finer Foods -- branded for this location as "Tony's Fresh Market" is replacing the Dominick's on Lincoln just north of Foster. As this store is close to my house, anybody have a Tony's scouting report -- especially for one of their larger "fresh market" versions?

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140128 ... iner-foods

NFriday wrote:I thought somebody was going to take over one of the Oak Park stores?

Pete’s Fresh Market to focus on produce, amenities in former Oak Park Dominick’s

Pete’s Fresh Market will focus on its expertise in produce when it opens in the former Dominick’s Finer Foods in Oak Park later this year, according to the store’s executive officer, Stephanie Dremonas.

“We’re experts in the market,” Dremonas said. “We hand-select everything. We are the self-proclaimed kings of produce in the Chicago market. We started as a produce stand and worked our way up to offering deli, meat and bakery selections.”

Dremonas expects to close on the chain’s purchase of the former Dominick’s, 259 Lake St., by Jan. 31. She declined to say how much the chain, based on Chicago’s South Side, will spend on the purchase or renovation of the building.

The Oak Park store will closely resemble the Pete’s Fresh Market in Oak Brook, but will take several months to design and renovate because the Lake Street location is slightly smaller than the Oak Brook store, said Viktor Schrader, vice president of the Oak Park Development Corporation, which worked with Pete’s on the purchase.

Among the features will be a cheese bar, seafood counter, butcher shop, bakery, salad bars, hot food bar, and cafe, Schrader said. Pete’s also hopes to lure Starbucks and a bank branch to the site.

“They would like to have both [Starbucks and a bank]; I know they’re working on it,” Schrader said. “This store is a smaller footprint than Oak Brook, but they plan on designing to allow all the amenities. They will focus on produce, which is what the community wants. All around, it’s a home run.”

Pete’s has targeted late 2014 as its grand opening, but hopes to open much sooner, Schrader said.

Shasson wrote:Tony's Finer Foods -- branded for this location as "Tony's Fresh Market" is replacing the Dominick's on Lincoln just north of Foster. As this store is close to my house, anybody have a Tony's scouting report -- especially for one of their larger "fresh market" versions?

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140128 ... iner-foods

I frickin love Tony's.
IMO, beef is not their strong point.

The standards for ethnic cooking and conventional produce is what they do well. Deli stuff is ok too. Sale prices on chicken and pork parts can be great. Bakery has "pretty" stuff all over the place, but I've never been wowed by any of it. I'm usually once a week at Tony's - especially for the staples in my house like olive oil, eggs, o.j., cheap centrella butter, tortillas, produce, maybe for some sliced cheese or deli meats for sammiches. I've also never ever been wowed by their prepared cooked, foods at ALL. They have plenty of "standard"ethnic stuff, but at mine, I've never seen lime leaf or curry leaf, so, that kinda tells me their "limit" as far as how exotic they get. Oh, also, mine has lots of Eastern European stuff, so I'd say it's like a very big Certified (house brand is Centrella) with a big nod to Eastern European, and Mexican, and a smaller, but decent nod to Asian, and Indian products - with a decent sized deli counter. It's got weak points, but for how I cook, and what I buy at grocery stores, Tony's is a major part of my grocery rotation.

Artie wrote:

NFriday wrote:I thought somebody was going to take over one of the Oak Park stores?

Pete’s Fresh Market to focus on produce, amenities in former Oak Park Dominick’s

PTL!

Pete's will be great to have nearby!

From the February issue of Chicago Magazine: Bob Mariano, the CEO of Roundy's, the Wisconsin supermarket company that includes Mariano's stores, was interviewed in a short piece that has quite a few nuggets of interest.

Chgo Mag: Late last year, Safeway announced it was shuttering all 72 Dominick's stores in Chicago. Your reaction?

Bob Mariano: I was surprised, personally, that they exited altogether. I thought they might just close a couple of stores. Honestly, I had thought that subsequent to the change in leadership [CEO Robert Edwards joined Safeway in April 2013] they'd reengage. They have all the resources in the world. They have the right size to do whatever they choose to do. But I guess strategically that company is going in a different direction.

Chgo Mag: You recently bought 11 of the old Dominick's locations to convert them to Mariano's. How did you decide which locations to buy?

Bob Mariano: [Choosing any location is] first based on the sheer number of people in the area and the amount of purchasing power of those people. We've refined it further to look at what we call the daytime population -- who's working, what offices, what types of industry around the location.

Mariano also said something interesting that could have come right off this forum: "I didn't realize the level of dissatisfaction [they] had with their [supermarket] choices. I knew they weren't satisfied, but the intensity -- it was almost like Jewel had broken a bond with them. I think it refreshed in my mind the notion that food retail is extremely neighborhood oriented. People look at these stores as theirs. And you better take care of my store. It's very personal."

I couldn't have said it better myself! --Joy

Hi- Does anybody know when the Mariano's in Northfield is opening up? I know their pharmacy is already open. Thanks, Nancy

Hi- So Sunset Foods does not want to move into the Bannockburn store? Somebody in another post said that the village of Bannockburn is trying to get Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market to move in there, instead of Deerfield where they are planning to locate. Apparently the people that live close to the Bannockburn store don't like that idea though.

NFriday wrote:Hi- So Sunset Foods does not want to move into the Bannockburn store? Somebody in another post said that the village of Bannockburn is trying to get Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market to move in there, instead of Deerfield where they are planning to locate. Apparently the people that live close to the Bannockburn store don't like that idea though.

I was the one that posted about Fresh Thyme. I didn't hear anything about Sunset moving to Bannockburn, but why would they? They have a store right down the street in Lake Forest.

As far as Fresh Thyme, it's the Deefield people that live in the Deer Run subdivision that are against Fresh Thyme opening at Cadwell Corners. I don't know if people in Bannockburn are for or against Fresh Thyme coming in - I don't even know if they are aware of what's been going on behind the scenes.

Shasson wrote:Tony's Finer Foods -- branded for this location as "Tony's Fresh Market" is replacing the Dominick's on Lincoln just north of Foster. As this store is close to my house, anybody have a Tony's scouting report -- especially for one of their larger "fresh market" versions?

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20140128 ... iner-foods

I like the larger Tony's stores. They have a decent selection. Tony's normally skews towards the Hispanic, but their store just north of Dempster in Morton Grove(?) also has a pretty good selection of European goods as well. It's a huge step up from a Dominick's.

NFriday wrote:Hi- Does anybody know when the Mariano's in Northfield is opening up? I know their pharmacy is already open. Thanks, Nancy

February 25th.
http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/- ... -79016631/