Garden Fresh in Arlington Heights slated to close

Wheeling-based Garden Fresh Market is expected to close its Arlington Heights store by March 4, affecting about 70 workers.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity received a notification from the company on Jan. 5 that the Rand Road store would close.

“The first layoffs are expected to take place on March 4,” state spokeswoman Marcelyn Love said Thursday.

A Garden Fresh spokeswoman declined to comment and calls to the founder, Adi Mor, were not immediately returned. It's unclear if all the affected workers would be laid off or offered transfers to other company stores.

The Arlington Heights store has a sign posted on its door that said it would close for remodeling on March 4. But permits have not been obtained for the remodeling, which is required by the village.

Mor had opened his first store in 1980 in Skokie, drawing from his experience of working at Chicago's renowned South Water Market where fresh produce was delivered daily, according to the company's website.

Garden Fresh operates other stores in Wheeling, Mundelein, Northbrook, Mount Prospect, Round Lake Beach and Naperville. The 60,000-square-foot store in Arlington Heights is at 600 E. Rand Road and opened in December 2006. The company closed a store on Belmont Avenue in Chicago in 2010, the website says.