Assuming that all goes well and the project gets the necessary approvals, Heinen's could open its 19th store in Glenview, Ill., between June 1 and Nov. 1, 2014.
has signed a 10-year lease agreement with the village of Glenview, Ill., that may lead to the supermarket chain opening its 19th store there in 2014. The agreement, which is still subject to contingencies and approvals, calls for the village to tear down a 35,000-square-foot former Dominick's store that Heinen's would replace with a $10 million to $12 million store.
Assuming that all goes well and the project gets the necessary approvals, Heinen's could open its 19th store overall between June 1 and Nov. 1, 2014.
"We're very excited to have Heinen's come into the market," said Mary Bak, Glenview's director of planning and economic development for the village of 45,000.
"I've been to Barrington, as well as a number of stores in Cleveland, and we're pretty comfortable that they provide high quality, great customer service and good prices. I was very impressed by the fact that their staff was extremely friendly and came forward and engaged in conversation. I was also impressed with the produce, the meat and the variety."
But Heinen's Co-President Jeff Heinen downplayed expectations, saying that there are still too many contingencies associated with the site to confirm that it will definitely happen.
Those contingencies including environmental and soil conditions, property improvements including the possibility of building a parking deck, and a liquor license, according to village officials.
If Heinen's is satisfied that its conditions have been met, the Warrensville Heights grocer could take over the three-acre property next April.
Glenview, about 20 minutes northwest of Chicago, has demographics similar to Barrington's. Its 17,746 residents have a median family income of $125,138 and a median home value of $545,000, according to the village website.
The site Heinen's is looking at has been a supermarket for more than 50 years, and after Dominick's moved out in 2006, the village bought the property and started searching for a tenant.
"We've talked to a lot of people in the last five years, and actually identified Heinen's about a year and a half ago," Bak said. "We got a real good feeling from them, but they were focused on opening their store in Barrington."
After that store opened, she said Jeff Heinen called the village and talks got more serious.
Dominick's lease agreement expires on Dec. 31, and Heinen's agreement calls for it to pay the village the same $156,000 a year in rent, in addition to taxes and maintenance.
At 35,000 square foot, the Glenview store would be smaller than a typical Northeast Ohio Heinen's, but in the same ballpark as its 38,000-square-foot Barrington store that opened on Aug. 22.
As in Barrington, Heinen's will face competition from the first day it opens. The Glenview store is empty because Dominick's left it to build another store in town nearly twice the size.
Glenview also has a Jewel-Osco, a Trader Joe's, and a Whole Foods in adjacent Northbrook. Another grocer called Mariano's Fresh Market, which is also expanding in Greater Chicago, has expressed interest in opening two stores in Glenview, although talks are still preliminary.
"It's a pretty competitive grocery market, but he (Heinen) believes he can be successful here, and we believe that as well," Bak said.
One of the first customers is likely to be Pauline Karwowski, a former Cleveland mother of three who now lives closer to the Glenview store than the one in Barrington.
As soon as she heard the news, she tweeted: "Heinen's in Glenview! Wooooooooot!!!!"
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