Chicago Journal
May 31, 2007
By Kent Green

At least it'll be in time for apple season.

West Town residents have to wait until fall for a new Dominick's to open at 2021 W. Chicago, but the company provided some details about the new store this week.

Because the opening is still a few months away, spokeswoman Wynona Redmond said several details are being firmed up. However, she did say the store will have about 50,000 square feet of space, all on one level. Parking will be in an open-air lot on top of the building.

Redmond said she didn't know how many spaces the lot would include, but three have been set aside for vehicles from the I-GO car sharing program.

Dominick's announced in February that about 14 stores in the Chicago area would be closed because they were not turning a profit. Rather than undergo what could be multimillion-dollar remodels, it's often smarter to open a new store, Redmond said.

The West Town store will be the 84th in the Chicago area.

Redmond said she couldn't specifically describe what factors the company looks at when choosing a new location, but she did say the neighborhood had the "right dynamic" for a store.

"This is an area we think will do well with the lifestyle format," she said.

She said the lifestyle format is the grocery chain's effort to attract customers with "one-stop" shopping outlets. These stores offer amenities such as prepared foods, freshly baked breads and interiors with warmer colors. All new stores are in this format, Redmond said.

Dominick's has yet to determine the number of employees it will hire for the store's opening, but Redmond said it would be somewhere between 100 and 200 people.

Some of those will be transferred from other stores, she said, adding that Dominick's plans to hold a neighborhood job fair in late June or early July.

The fair is in line with Dominick's attempt to integrate its stores into a community, Redmond said. The store, she said, has held discussions with local schools, community groups and 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores' office to make sure it opens on the right foot.

So far, she said, feedback has been positive.

"The overall reception we've seen is people are excited and can't wait for the store to open," she said.

Flores said the store's community benefits package that includes the I-GO parking spaces as well as other amenities "sets an example for good corporate citizenship."

"It's going to help Chicago Avenue," Flores said. "It's going to help meet the needs of a growing community."