By BOB RAKOW
May 15, 2018
DOWNERS GROVE – Aldi and Hobby Lobby will open locations in Downers Grove in the fall, moving into the space previously occupied by Angelo Caputo’s Fresh Market.
The grocery and hobby and crafts stores will subdivide the space that Caputo’s vacated when it closed in July 2017.
Hobby Lobby will occupy 53,800 square feet of the space while Aldi will take up 21,800 square feet, said Michael Cassa, president and CEO of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corp.
The addition of two anchor stores is a huge boost for the Downers Grove Market shopping center, located on the northwest corner of Ogden Avenue and Williams Street, Cassa said.
“It’s exciting on a number of fronts,” he said. “These are two stores that will do very well.”
Aldi is one of the few national grocery store chains that is expanding, and securing a location in Downers Grove was critical, Cassa said.
He added he frequently was asked when the grocery store would locate in Downers Grove.
Caputo’s spent three years at the Downers Grove Market location. The space previously was occupied by Dominick’s Finer Foods.
Caputo’s maintains stores in DuPage County, including ones in Addison, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream and Naperville.
National retailers act fast when identifying new locations, so attracting Aldi and Hobby Lobby to the village was a significant achievement, Cassa said.
“They are open to opportunities in a trade area where they are not represented,” he said. “If we don’t land them, they’ll land somewhere else.”
Cassa said other retailers in the shopping center will benefit from the addition of Aldi and Hobby Lobby.
“It’s good news for other tenants in that center,” he said, adding anchor stores typically draw more retail traffic to neighboring businesses. “They help each other.”
Downers Grove Market is owned by IRC Retail Centers, which was instrumental in attracting both retailers to the center, Cassa said.
“I was very excited,” he said.
Aldi joins several other grocery stores in Downers Grove that include two Jewel-Osco locations, Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, Shop & Save, Familia Fresh Market and Trader Joe’s.
Aldi has nearby locations in Darien, Lisle, Westmont and Wheaton.
“I think this is a great spot for them,” Cassa said.
The specific opening date for both stores is unknown, he said.
Meanwhile, Cassa’s organization continues to seek tenants for the shuttered Ultra Foods in the Grove Shopping Center.
