Early Work Begins For Pete's Fresh Market: New Lenox Mayor

NEW LENOX, IL — Work is under way on the out lot that will eventually be home to a Pete's Fresh Market in New Lenox.

Crews could be seen on-site this week, and New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann said they're putting in footings to prepare to work on the foundation.

It's close enough to the initial Halloween start-date the company issued in June. A tentative spring 2025 opening is still projected for the 60,000-square-foot store, Baldermann said. The store will be located at 2307 E. Lincoln Highway.

Citing COVID-19 delays and supply chain issues, Baldermann said in June that the store's arrival will be worth the wait.

"Not only does it take time to build the 60,000-square-foot building, but equipment orders are still slower than normal," Baldermann said previously. "They will also need to hire and train their staff. We look forward to their opening in 22 months."

Pete's Fresh Marketfirst announced its intention to open in New Lenox in 2017, Baldermann said. Started in the early 1970s as "a small, full-service produce stand on the south side of Chicago," the grocer chain remains a family-owned business with stores featuring fresh produce, full-service kitchens, bakery, deli, and in-house butchers. Pete's currently has 17 stores in the Chicagoland area with six coming soon, the New Lenox location among them.