Downers Grove Sara Lee Outlet to Close Oct. 27

The Downers Grove Sara Lee Outlet Store will close later this month after 41 years in business.

The outlet, located at 2223 Ogden Ave., will officially close Saturday, Oct. 27, according to store employees.

Staff is currently in the process of whittling down the store's inventory through a final closing sale. Customers have been stocking up on their favorite Market Day products—frozen meats and desserts—as well as classic Sara Lee bakery items.

"Customers are sad, but we're still plugging along until the end of next week," said the employee, who referred any official comment to a Hillshire Brands spokesman.

Downers Grove-based Sara Lee’s split into a global coffee company and a North American operation under Hillshire Brands  All 11 stores are slated to close by next month.

Suburban stores closing are in Palatine, Skokie, Streamwood, Oak Lawn, Homewood, Riverside and two in Chicago. Additional stores will close in Milwaukee, WI, and Traverse City, MI.

All 75 outlet employees will lose their jobs, according to Hillshire.

The announcement of the outlet store’s closing in June saddened many of the regular customers who came to rely on the store to help stretch their food dollars and pick up school Market Day products. 

According to a corporate spokesman, Hillshire Brands after the split will remain focused on production and distribution of products, and will not be able to devote the “attention required for success in stand-along retail operations.”

Sara Lee will also be vacating its corporate headquarters in Downers Grove early next year.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced in December 2011 that the corporation's domestic meats business (Hillshire Brands) would relocate its offices to 400 S. Jefferson St. The news came just five years after the company left Chicago for Downers Grove.

The coffee company will be based in Europe.

Hillshire Brands will receive between $5 million and $6.5 million in funds from Chicago's tax-increment financing district, depending on the number of jobs created from the move, according to a press release. The company promised to create at least 500 jobs, with the possibility of up to 650.

Are you going to miss the Sara Lee outlet? Are you disappointed the corporate headquarters is relocating to Chicago? Tell us in the comments.

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