Joe Caputo & Sons acquires 4 former Dominick’s stores
Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market is taking over recently shuttered Dominick’s store locations in Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village and Northbrook.
The announcement of new store openings came via the company’s Facebook page.
The new Caputo locations will be 325 E. Palatine Road in Arlington Heights; 980 Elk Grove Town Center in Elk Grove Village; 1555 Lee St. in Des Plaines; and 4125 Dundee Road in Northbrook.
In the case of the Des Plaines store, Caputo will be relocating from its existing store down the block at 959 E. Oakton St. The new store is located at The Oaks Shopping Center, which is owned by Caputo.
Since Caputo is moving into buildings that already have been used as grocery stores, there’s little red tape for owners to cut through to get the necessary approvals and open relatively soon, according to local community development officials.
“It’s going from a grocery use to a grocery use,” said George Sakas, Des Plaines’ director of community and economic development. “They’re wired for what they need. The sinks are where they need to be. For us, it’s kind of mundane stuff.”
Caputo’s existing Des Plaines store, a 10,000-square-foot building, is in a strip mall — a crowded location for shoppers and trucks making deliveries. By comparison, the new Des Plaines location is a 60,000-square-foot building.
“They need a bigger place. Anyone can tell you that,” Sakas said. “For us, it’s a good fit. Obviously we want that Dominick’s space filled, especially with a grocer around the corner that’s been successful.”
Michael Mertes, Arlington Heights’ business development coordinator, said Caputo officials would be working with the village’s building department to get necessary permits and approvals, but it is expected the store would open “as soon as possible.”
“They really emphasize fresh produce. That’s kind of their branding or method of operation. That’s going to be the focus of their store,” Mertes said. “We’re excited to have them. We look forward to getting the doors open.”
The Arlington Heights store is about 50,000 square feet, a fairly common size for a grocery store, Mertes said.
The Elk Grove Village location is 72,000 square feet, according to Josh Grodzin, the village’s director of business/development and marketing.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said Caputo store owners haven’t yet contacted village offices about an impending move.
“Obviously we’d love to get a store the quality of Caputo’s in Elk Grove,” Johnson said. “If it were to be, we’d be very welcoming to them.”
Caputo, which also has existing locations in Palatine and Algonquin, will have a total of six stores after the opening of the new locations.
Since Dominick’s owner Safeway announced in October that it was exiting the Chicago market, other grocery chains have come forward to buy or lease some of the remaining 72 Dominick’s locations. So far, Mariano’s Fresh Markets has acquired 11 stores and Jewel-Osco has four.