Dominick’s locations throughout the Chicago area are scheduled to close Dec. 28, but the Oak Park store could be purchased next year by a Chicago grocery store chain, Pete’s Fresh Market.
Charlie Poulikis, a Pete’s Fresh Market manager who handles the company’s real estate transactions, said in a telephone interview that Pete’s representatives toured the Oak Park Dominick’s, 259 Lake St., about a month ago and are considering purchasing the location.
He said the Dominick’s at 7501 North Ave. in River Forest, which is not owned but leased by Safeway, Dominick’s parent company, is not under consideration.
“It’s a small store,” Poulikis said. “I like that store, but we like to buy, not lease.”
Poulikis said Pete’s expects to make a decision on the purchase, along with the potential purchase of other stores, between the 15th and 20th of January. He declined to give details on the number of stores the company is considering.
“We could buy one or 10 or zero,” he said.
Poulikis said Pete’s currently has 10 locations, seven in the city and three in the suburbs. Although the chain’s stores are typically about 60,000 square feet — the Oak Park location is about 45,000 square feet — the size is “not a concern.”
“It’s a nice location and it’s big enough for the town,” he said, adding that the major concern for the grocery store chain is whether potential sites are located near another grocery store. “We don’t want to buy something next to a Jewel,” he said.
Village President Anan Abu-Taleb said in a phone interview that other grocery stores also are considering purchasing the Oak Park location but declined to give details.
“Oak Park is ripe for investment, and it’s a good opportunity for the Pete’s Markets of the world to be looking at Oak Park in a very serious manner,” he said.
It’s still uncertain whether Pete’s will purchase the location, Abu-Taleb said, but village hall “needs to be ready to get them through the village process as quickly as possible and set up.”