Amazon behind 'mystery' grocery store coming to Schaumburg
Amazon representatives confirmed Tuesday that the retail giant will be the operator of the nearly 43,000-square-foot grocery store opening in the former Babies R Us space in Schaumburg.
"Amazon is opening a grocery store in Schaumburg in 2020," a company spokesperson said.
Amazon did not indicate when the store would be opening, but village officials believe late summer is a possibility.
Schaumburg Economic Development Director Matt Frank confirmed that the Schaumburg Corners Shopping Center at 16 E. Golf Road is the only possible site the Amazon spokesperson was citing. While the name of the tenant had not been disclosed to village officials previously, Amazon had been their educated guess, Frank said.
Village trustees approved the project last August without being told the name of the company, instead working through a third party to authorize the project.
At the time, both Frank and Mayor Tom Dailly said they did not see the approval as "a leap of faith." The design details revealed the quality of the project, Frank said. And while there might be some types of business in which a name might be significant, a grocery store is not one of them, Dailly said.
Amazon said the new store will not be part of its checkout-free Amazon Go line but rather will feature a traditional checkout experience.
The store's approval by the village last August included a special-use permit for a restaurant, allowing it to include an 862-square-foot seating area where customers can consume their purchases on-site.
Village officials initially expected the name of the store to be revealed much earlier. But Frank said he'd since changed his mind and believed it wouldn't happen until July or August when signs go up.
The closest prior example to this he remembers was when Trader Joe's was planning its move into Schaumburg and didn't want it publicly known too soon.
Amazon earlier this year applied for a liquor license for a grocery store at 3116 S. Route 59 in Naperville.