Centrella Wants to Snap Up Some Unsold Dominick's Stores: Report

Joliet-based Centrella is negotiating to buy as many as 10 Dominick's stores, but whether the Joliet store on Essington Road is one of them remains to be seen, a published report said Friday.

Centrella is a cooperative affiliated with independent grocery store chains that include Tony's, Treasure Island and Strack & Van Til, according to a story in Crain's Chicago Business. It has hired food industry investment banker David Schoeder to negotiate the purchase of an undisclosed number of stores with Safeway, Dominick's parent company, the story said.

Safeway announced in October that all unsold Dominick's stores would close by Dec. 28.

While the Dominick's at Route 59 and Black Road has been bought and will be transformed into a Mariano's, the store at 2318 Essington Road remains unpurchased. A going-out-of-business sale at that store and others marked down the prices on food and other items by as much as 50 percent.

Crain's also reported that Jewel is no longer interested in buying any of the remaining Dominick's stores. In October, it purchased four Dominick's, including the one in Homer Glen.

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