Save A Lot is finally ready to open Chicago store

Business has not exactly gone according to plan for Save A Lot store operator Yellow Banana in Chicago.

When the decision was made to close a Whole Foods in the Englewood neighborhood and Save A Lot took over the lease in April of 2023, residents protested the move and voiced concerns at a town hall meeting with Save A Lot CEO Leon Bergmann and Yellow Banana executives.

Yellow Banana is the owner and operator of a total of eight Save A Lot locations in Chicago and announced a $26.5 million investment in the grocery stores last spring. The money was marked for comprehensive upgrades to existing stores and for the reopening of a former Save A Lot location in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood that closed in 2020.

After months of delays, the Auburn Gresham Save A Lot is expected to open in April, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.

Originally slated to be back in business in July 2023, the opening date was pushed back to Thanksgiving before it was delayed again.

The issue appears to be construction related. Yellow Banana wanted to renovate the Auburn Gresham location first, but an unexpected subsurface condition that required additional geotechnical work and other investigations created an additional three month’s worth of development.

Officials now say the floors are done and the store should be open to the public in a couple of months.

Related:Save A Lot CEO Leon Bergmann resigns