By Bob Bong
Kroger and Albertson’s this week released the list of stores the companies plan to sell, should a merger between the grocery giants be approved by regulators.
Jewel Food Stores in Alsip and Palos Heights are among the stores listed for sale as well as Mariano’s locations in Oak Lawn, Orland Park, and Frankfort.
The stores are among 579 that will be transferred from the merging companies to C&S Wholesale Grocers along with six distribution centers and one dairy plant.
Kroger has informed employees at affected locations that they will become employees of C&S after the close of the merger, Bloomberg reported. The companies agreed to the sale of 579 stores in April after federal regulators opposed the deal in February.
“The comprehensive divestiture plan with C&S is critical to bringing the meaningful and measurable benefits of our merger with Albertsons to associates, customers and communities across America,” Kroger said in a statement Wednesday.
The merger was announced in October 2022 but the Federal Trade Commission sued to stop it in February. The merger represents approximately 20% of the U.S. grocery market, according to the USDA and would affect one out of six grocery laborers if approved, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We remain focused on stopping the proposed mega-merger for the same reasons we have stated since it was first announced over 20 months ago — because we know it would harm workers, it would harm shoppers, it would harm suppliers and communities, and it is illegal,” United Food & Commercial Workers, a union that represents grocery workers, said in a statement Tuesday.
C&S, in a statement provided Wednesday, said that the company would honor union contracts if the merger is approved.
Here is the list of Chicago stores that would be transferred if the merger goes through:
Jewel-Osco — 87 W. 87th St.
Mariano’s — 3350 N. Western Ave.
Mariano’s — 5353 N. Elston Ave.
Mariano’s — 1800 W. Lawrence Ave.
Mariano’s — 5201 N. Sheridan Road
Mariano’s — 1500 N. Clybourn Ave., Ste. 104
Mariano’s — 3030 N. Broadway, Ste. 100
Mariano’s — 3857 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Suburban stores slated for divestiture are:
Jewel-Osco — 12001 S. Pulaski Road, Alsip
Mariano’s — 802 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights
Mariano’s — 144 S. Gary Ave., Bloomingdale
Mariano’s — 105 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake
Mariano’s — 2999 Waukegan Road, Deerfield
Mariano’s — 10 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines
Mariano’s — 678 N. York St., Elmhurst
Mariano’s — 21001 S. LaGrange Road, Frankfort
Mariano’s — 6655 Grand Ave., Gurnee
Jewel-Osco — 1537 N. Larkin Ave., Joliet
Mariano’s — 1350 E. Route 22, Lake Zurich
Mariano’s — 345 W. Roosevelt Ave., Lombard
Mariano’s — 1300 S. Naper Blvd., Naperville
Mariano’s — 784 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook
Mariano’s — 1822 Willow Road, Northfield
Mariano’s — 11000 S .Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn
Mariano’s — 9504 142nd St., Orland Park
Mariano’s — 545 N. Hicks Road, Palatine
Jewel-Osco — 12803 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights
Mariano’s — 1900 S. Cumberland Ave., Park Ridge
Mariano’s — 950 Brook Forest Ave., Shorewood
Mariano’s — 3358 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie
Mariano’s — 1720 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills
Mariano’s — 3020 Wolf Road, Westchester
Mariano’s — 4700 Gilbert Ave., Western Springs
Mariano’s — 150 W. 63rd St., Westmont
Mariano’s — 625 S. Main St., Wheaton