ENGLEWOOD — Residents of Englewood, who have vowed to block the opening of low-price grocery stores in their neighborhoods, accused company leaders Wednesday night of substandard conditions at stores in other cities.
Community organizers, local officials and residents gathered Wednesday at Kennedy King College at 740 W. 63rd St. to announce the long-opposed Save A Lot in Englewood after protests delayed store leaders’ opening. We talked about fate.
The store at 832 W. 63rd St. will replace Whole Foods Market, which closed last year. Yellow Banana, which owns and operates stores under the Save A Lot name, signed a lease on a vacant building in December.
After months of neighbors not wanting a Save A Lot store in their community, they were shocked when a grocery store banner appeared in an empty Englewood building in January. received. They criticize the authorities for ignoring community objections and closing the deal behind closed doors.
Community organizers and local officials held demonstrations outside stores during a “preview” of newly-arrived stores in April, demanding that Yellow Banana and Save A Lot leaders meet with the community before the store opens. bottom.
Amid the backlash, Yellow Banana CEO Joe Canfield postponed its April opening, pledging to be a “good corporate citizen” and meeting with local stakeholders before setting a new opening date for the store. Did.
credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club ChicagoBut at Kennedy King College, Inglewood residents had made it clear that opening a 63rd Street store was “not on the agenda” for discussion, said founder of the Greater Inglewood Residents Association. Asiaha Butler said.
Butler said he wanted neighbors to discuss the situation at the store instead.
Members of the 16th Ward Grocery Steering Committee visited Yellow Banana-owned Save-A-Lot stores between April 21 and May 2, organizers said. According to leaflets distributed by the commission, spoiled food, dirty freezers, and groceries were sold before their expiration date.
Neighbors said they will not support Englewood Save-a-Lot until these situations are addressed and rectified in stores with viable funds and authorities continue to meet with the community.
“I want to talk about plans for other stores, what’s going on, timelines,” Butler said. I would like to give people the opportunity to actually hear about the impact on the community with other stores.
“This partner is seven minutes from us. …What happens at these stores will impact what happens at 63rd and Halsted.”
credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club ChicagoCanfield said Yellow Banana “closed its stores” in 2021, but didn’t get a tax-enhancing loan for the renovations until March of this year.
Yellow Banana co-owner Michael Nance said the company “will be able to acquire the underlying stores and fully restore them with the $25 million deal.” Overall, according to Crain’s, the Cleveland-based company has invested $26.5 million in renovating its stores on the south and west sides.
Yellow Banana was waiting for funding, so Nance says it changed its produce supplier and updated its line to include organic products at the request of neighbors.
“We were very aware of the lack of investment and the condition of the building,” says Nance. “We need to update them. This is to give people who look like us and who grew up in places similar to where we grew up to have healthy, affordable, high quality food.” We saw this as an opportunity to fulfill our mission of providing
Neighbors, however, questioned how a company that promised high-quality products failed to overlook rotten food and that conditions remained poor.
Yellow bananas are “not perfect,” says Canfield. The company “will miss some things,” he said.
“I know it’s not going to be popular when it comes to expired products on the shelves, but you can always go to the grocery store and if you look closely, you can find expired products,” Cann says. Mr Field said. “We have to do a better job to keep it up. Categories He rotates He has a schedule. We rotate dairy, protein and produce every day. But sometimes we make mistakes.” may also violate.”
credit: Atavia Reed/Block Club Chicago“There is a lot of work to be done” for Save A Lot to successfully enter the community, says Ald. Stephanie Coleman (16th), whose ward includes the shop.
Yellow Bananas and Save-A-Lot will decide whether there are plans to open an Inglewood store in a “follow-up discussion after the meeting,” Save-A-Lot CEO Leon Bergman said. rice field.
“I understand there are strong opinions here tonight,” Bergman said. “I also know how many people regularly come to the store to ask when it will open. So I don’t know the perfect answer to your question. deserves a great grocery store.”
But Inglewood won’t be Save-a-Lot’s “pilot program,” said local organizer Joseph Williams.
“We’re going to be a community that you have to respect,” said Williams. “You’re going to have to come right to the table….”
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