Orland Park Mariano's Among Those To Be Sold Off In Merger

ILLINOIS — The Orland Park Mariano's location is among 35 Jewel-Osco and Mariano's stores in the Chicagoland area that will be divested as part of a merger between parent companies, the two parent companies said.

Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos, the parent companies of Mariano's Fresh Markets and Jewel-Osco, respectively, announced their $24.6 billion merger in October 2022, and both agreed to sell stores and other facilities to C&S Wholesale Grocers.

The New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers, whose subsidiaries include Piggly Wiggly, will purchase the stores as part of the merger agreement. Kroger and Albertsons will sell almost 600 stores and other facilities across the United States. Together, they currently operate almost 5,000 stores throughout the country.

The grocers said in April how many Illinois stores would be sold as part of the plan to secure regulatory approval, and released the full list Tuesday.

If the deal goes through, these Illinois Jewel-Osco stores would be sold to C&S:

• 12001 S. Pulaski Road, Alsip
• 87 W. 87th St., Chicago
• 1537 N. Larkin Ave., Joliet
• 12803 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights

The following Illinois Mariano's would be sold to C&S:

• 802 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights
• 144 S. Gary Ave., Bloomingdale
• 3350 N. Western Ave., Chicago
• 5353 N. Elstson Ave., Chicago
• 1800 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago
• 5201 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago
• 1500 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago
• 3030 N. Broadway, Chicago
• 3857 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Chicago
• 105 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake
• 2999 Waukegan Road, Deerfield
• 10 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines
• 678 N. York St., Elmhurst
• 21001 S. LaGrange Road, Frankfort
• 6655 Grand Ave., Gurnee
• 1350 E. Route 22, Lake Zurich
• 345 W. Roosevelt Ave., Lombard
• 1300 S. Naper Blvd., Naperville
• 784 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook
• 11000 S. Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn
• 9504 142nd St., Orland Park
• 545 N. Hicks Road, Palatine
• 1900 S. Cumberland Ave., Park Ridge
• 950 Brook Forest Ave., Shorewood
• 3358 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie
• 1720 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills
• 3020 Wolf Road, Westchester
• 4700 Gilbert Ave., Western Springs
• 150 W. 63rd St., Westmont
• 625 S. Main St., Wheaton
• 1822 Willow Road, Winnetka

Kroger and Albertsons shared the list of closures ahead of a trial in August that is expected to determine the deal's outcome, according to a report from Crain's Chicago Business. The divestiture comes after the Federal Trade Commission previously blocked the deal.

The companies began notifying affected employees with a Tuesday memo, letting them know they'll become employees of C&S Wholesale Grocers once the merger is complete, Crain's reported.

"We have reached an agreement with C&S for an updated divestiture package that maintains Kroger's commitments to customers, associates and communities, addresses concerns raised by regulators, and will further ensure that C&S can successfully operate the divested stores as they are operated today," Rodney McMullen, Kroger's Chairman and CEO, said in a statement.

McMullen said the proposed merger will result in lower prices and more choices for customers.

"Importantly, the updated divestiture plan continues to ensure no stores will close as a result of the merger and that all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading health care and pension benefits alongside bargained-for wages," he said.