- Seven Save A Lot stores across Chicago closed their doors Saturday, leaving residents with one less grocery store in areas where options are already limited.
- Save A Lot announced this week it was ending its licensing agreement with embattled operator Yellow Banana due to 'financial headwinds' under its ownership.
- Shoppers expressed frustration over the closures, with one resident stating, 'How are they gonna get what they need? ... We have to eat, too.'
- Yellow Banana received $26 million taxpayer financing as part of a deal to buy and renovate six stores on the South and West sides, but the locations closed less than two years after the investment.
- Save A Lot and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson are blaming the closures on federal funding cuts and changes to programs like SNAP benefits.
Save A Lot's closure of seven grocery stores across Chicago's South and West sides has left residents in predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods with limited access to food. The closures, which occurred less than two years after a $26 million taxpayer-funded deal with Yellow Banana, have raised concerns about food deserts in the area.23
Local resident John Kali Mwindaja remarked, “It’s the same old story... when it comes down to Black communities.” The stores that closed include locations on W. 63rd St., S. Halsted Ave., and S. Stony Island Ave., among others. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker highlighted efforts to support grocery stores, stating, “I put an initiative in several years ago called the Illinois Grocery Initiative.” However, residents remain skeptical about the future of food access in their neighborhoods.
The closures are attributed to “financial headwinds” under Yellow Banana's management, with Save A Lot citing “dramatic cuts to SNAP benefits” as a significant challenge. An employee with over 22 years at Save A Lot expressed dismay, saying, “Now I'm out of work.” As shelves emptied at the West Lawn location, shoppers like Gladys Roman scrambled to find essentials, while Loretta Claiborne lamented, “How are they gonna get what they need? ... We have to eat, too.”
The closures leave a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for food access in these communities, with residents fearing that more grocery stores may follow suit.
“The closures come four years after a $26 million taxpayer deal with Yellow Banana, which closed the stores less than two years after reopening, leaving predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods without a grocery store for miles. Save A Lot and Mayor Brandon Johnson blame federal funding cuts and SNAP benefit reductions, while residents express skepticism about future access.”
Chicago Sun-Times
