As part of the Village of Romeoville’s ongoing efforts to attract new grocers, the community engaged a consultant to assist in their efforts. Michael Mallon of Mallon and Associates partnered with the Village in 2022 to conduct a grocer study. Mallon has over 40 years of experience in the Chicago market and has developed over 210 grocery/drug store projects throughout a 12 state region. He gave an update of his findings at the May 1 Village Board Meeting.
After a series of analytics confirmed that Weber Road and Route 53 corridors could support additional grocery stores, these findings were presented to over 38 grocery stores that would be a viable fit for the community. Over the last year and a half, Mallon and staff have worked with grocers, developers, property owners, and the Village to bring a grocery store to Romeoville. Despite all the best efforts with various stakeholders and very aggressive incentives being offered, the Village was unable to secure an agreement with a grocery store yet. While some stores have shown a level of interest, the current timing has not allowed them to move forward given the rapidly changing industry. In all, 38 stores were contacted and expressed concern about competition with other stores, competing with their existing stores in the area, market conditions, and timing. However, Mallon feels that with the changes in the grocer market happening right now, this survey should be tried again in the next 18-24 months. It is the hope that the conditions that have kept interested grocers from being able to move forward with a project will have evolved by that time. Even with that, efforts will continue with development partners and every realistic opportunity will be pursued.
While the Village understands and shares the desire for another grocery option, they want to assure the community that they remain dedicated to exploring future opportunities to improve local amenities and services. As much as the Village would like another grocery store, the Village does not make that decision. Businesses, not the Village, decide if they want to come to Romeoville or not. Companies look at many things before deciding to open a new location: population growth, demographics, levels of competition, supply chain support, availability of existing space/the cost of building new, interest rates, workforce availability and many other elements. Their decision is based on these factors and potentially many others.
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Unfortunately, the Village cannot force a business to come here. So what, as a resident, can you do to help?
- Contact companies you wish to see in Romeoville and express your desire to be their customer.
- Shop Romeoville businesses. Companies notice strong support of existing businesses. Don’t forget to leave positive reviews and comments on social media and reviewing sites when a local business does a great job. Supporting a business isn’t only about dollars and cents.
- Fill out the census every 10 years. Businesses use the information gathered from the census when looking at population numbers and demographics.
The Village of Romeoville continues to see significant investment and growth across sectors. Their team is constantly trying to make the community the best it can be, however, industry dynamics ultimately come into play. If you have any questions or ideas, the Village’s team is happy to hear from you. Please contact them at 815-886-7200.
