Yellow Banana closes $26.5M deal for upgrades at Chicago grocery stores

Yellow Banana, the owner and operator of eight Save A Lot locations in the Chicagoland area, announced the March 31 closing of a $26.5 million investment into grocery stores on the south and west sides of Chicago. This transaction marks the next step in Yellow Banana’s ongoing commitment to underserved communities throughout the City of Chicago and the U.S. The investment combines a $13.5 million Community Development Grant that the city previously awarded to Yellow Banana in July 2022 with New Markets Tax Credits, third-party financing and funding from Yellow Banana.

Through this project, Yellow Banana will make comprehensive upgrades to its existing Chicago stores as well as re-open a former Save A Lot in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood that closed in 2020. The transaction further underscores Yellow Banana’s continued efforts to partner with major U.S. cities in providing access to affordable nutrition in underserved communities, and comes as Walmart announces the permanent closure of four of its longstanding locations on Chicago’s south and west sides.

Yellow Banana is owned by 127 Wall, which was co-founded by Michael Nance, Ademola Adewale-Sadik and Walker Brumskine. The three met while earning JDs from Yale Law School; Adewale-Sadik and Brumskine also earned MBAs from Harvard Business School. They are joined by operator and 127 Wall co-founder Joseph Canfield. Yellow Banana owns and operates nearly 40 stores in Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Jacksonville and Dallas, and seeks to be partner of choice for municipalities working to find solutions to food insecurity across the U.S.

The capital investments will be used to acquire the underlying real estate at five of Yellow Banana’s existing Chicago stores and at the Auburn Gresham site. Yellow Banana will then complete a comprehensive internal and external redevelopment at each location, including new flooring, lighting, equipment, HVAC, dairy and meat cases, interior and exterior paint, décor, fixtures and signage. The remodels will commence this spring and conclude over the next 12 months, during which time Yellow Banana also will re-open the store in Auburn Gresham.

“Where people grow up or live should not determine their access to healthy, affordable food options,” said Nance. “We look forward to providing residents on Chicago’s south and west sides with a repositioned, quality grocery experience, and we are eager to engage with them as we determine the appropriate offerings for these locations. We understand that local engagement and collaboration will make these stores a success.”

“Yellow Banana’s triple commercial mandate is to deliver food access, job creation and economic development to our customers, colleagues and communities,” said Ademola Adewale-Sadik. “Transforming these six sites into the community anchor tenants that these neighborhoods deserve will attract much-needed commercial activity over both the short and long terms, and this doubling down of our commitment to Chicago is in keeping with our mandate.”

“We are excited about Yellow Banana’s commitment to reshape the in-store experience for Save-A-Lot customers throughout the city's south and west sides,” said Save A Lot CEO Leon Bergmann. “The enhancements under way will ensure Chicagoans can continue to access fresh foods and quality brands at affordable prices for many years to come.”

Founded in 1977, Save A Lot has over 800 stores in 32 states.