Crestwood Shopping for Grocery Store to Replace Ultra Foods

CRESTWOOD, IL -- With the clock ticking on Crestwood’s only supermarket, village officials are working to convince another grocer to move into the soon-to-be shuttered Ultra Foods. The Crestwood store is one of nine under the Ultra Foods banner that are slated to close in Indiana and Illinois.

Ultra Foods will close on June 21, leaving Crestwood without a supermarket. It is owned by Joliet-based Central Grocers, Inc. Co-op, which announced plans to close its Ultra stores and sell off its Northwest Indiana Strack & Van Til grocery stores, according to news reports.

Last week, Jewel-Osco made a bid to purchase 19 Strack & Van Til stores that will allow Jewel to expand its brand in Indiana. Jewel’s offer does not include the Ultra Foods stores, ABC 7 Chicago reported.

“We’re talking to other grocery stores but nothing positive yet,” Mayor Lou Presta said. “We’re trying very hard.”

Presta said that three grocers have expressed some interest in taking over the Ultra space at 131st Street and Cicero Avenue, as well as a patio furniture store. The mayor said it was too early to divulge names of the prospective tenants.

“We’re negotiating rents,” the mayor said. “Definitely a couple of grocery stores are interested.”

Aside from Crestwood’s Walmart Supercenter, it looks like residents will have to drive to neighboring towns for their grocery shopping. Crestwood’s nearest neighbor -- Alsip -- has three supermarkets, including a Jewel-Osco, Food 4 Less and Aldi. Midlothian has a Sav-A-Lot and Berkot’s Super Foods.

~ Photo via Google