Save A Lot’s Chicago store revamp nears completionSave A Lot’s Chicago store revamp nears completion

Save A Lot is getting ready to reopen a store in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham neighborhood, an area on the city’s south side that struggles with poverty and disinvestment. The location is one of a half-dozen stores in food desert areas that Yellow Banana was overhauling with a major infrastructure update. The Auburn Gresham store is set to open on Thursday. A sixth store, located at 4439 West 63rd Street in Chicago, will open later this quarter.

Save A Lots faced delays, public scrutiny

It has not been an easy road in Chicago for Yellow Banana, a Cleaveland, Ohio-based retail grocery company that operates Save A Lot stores in the Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Jacksonville, and Dallas metro areas. The owner faced scrutiny last year after receiving more than $26 million in subsidies, including $13.5 million from the city of Chicago, and all six locations were slow to open. Yellow Banana must keep the stores open for 10 years or return the money. That deal became more complicated when, according to Yellow Banana, repairs needed for the stores were much greater than initially anticipated. Renovations at each location included new flooring, lighting, equipment, HVAC systems, dairy and meat cases, paint, décor, fixtures, and signage.

The Auburn Gresham location faced additional complications. An unexpected subsurface condition required additional geotechnical work, and other investigations delayed redevelopment by months.

Related:Foxtrot to reopen first Dallas location

Yellow Banana paused the opening of a Save A Lot on West 63rd and Halsted for months as the company worked with residents and community leaders to ensure the new stores would feature local products. Fairs were held to allow local suppliers to pitch their products, and the company also held town hall meetings to give residents a voice for what a “successful” grocery store looks like to them.

“I am confident that the investment in our remodel and upgrades to these stores will pay off for shoppers,” said Yellow Banana CEO Joe Canfield told Supermarket News.