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Ohio grocery chain to open first store in suburbs

An 82-year-old, family-owned supermarket chain is planning its first venture outside of the greater Cleveland area with a new location at the site of Barrington's recently closed Staples store.

Jeff Heinen, a member of his family's third generation to run http://www.heinens.com/">Heinen's Fine Foods in Ohio, said the first Illinois store is planned to open next summer at 500 N. Hough St., Suite 150, in Barrington.

What Heinen believes will set his family's store apart in the eyes of Chicago-area shoppers is its attention to customer service and product quality.

#8220;We spend a lot of time on the sources of our food,#8221; Heinen said.

The chain now has 17 stores, descendants of the butcher shop Heinen's grandfather opened in 1929 after emigrating from Germany. While looking to expand, the family came to believe that further opportunities in the greater Cleveland area were limited.

#8220;We're very unique in that we do our own distribution,#8221; Heinen said. #8220;We wanted to go somewhere within range of our distribution center.#8221;

The decision to look to the Chicago area in general, and to make Barrington its very first location here, came after about two years of research, he said.

#8220;We looked for communities where we felt people put value and quality on at least the same plane as price,#8221; he said.

Barrington's Economic Development Director Peg Blanchard first traveled to Ohio in 2007 to meet with the company and encourage its owners to consider the village if they ever pursued an expansion in Chicago.

#8220;They were obviously doing their homework,#8221; she said. #8220;Retailers don't make a decision like that the next day.#8221;

She said the decision is good news for Barrington and its future economic development.

#8220;It shows that Barrington has the market that's bringing in quality tenants,#8221; Blanchard said. #8220;And it's bringing in 80 new jobs.#8221;

The new location is approximately 38,000 square feet.

Decisions on further locations in the Chicago area will follow an assessment on how successful the Barrington location has been, Heinen said.

#8220;It's a very difficult business with low margins,#8221; he said of the supermarket industry. #8220;We recognize this is going to be a significant challenge.#8221;

But the company does want to focus its expansion plans in the Chicago area, not just anywhere within the same distance of its distribution center, he added.