Strack & Van Til to close Joliet store
By Bob Okon bokon@stmedianetwork.com June 14, 2012 4:42PM
Updated: July 16, 2012 6:29AM
JOLIET — Strack & Van Til will close its Joliet store, pointing to the impact of past Route 59 road construction, competition and other factors.
“This is the first time in our 53-year history that we’re closing due to business performance,” said Jeff Strack, whose grandfather was a founder of the company.
The Joliet store is one of two locations being closed in the 31-store network of Strack & Van Til and Ultra stores in the Chicago region and Northwest Indiana.
The company also is closing an Ultra store in Hanover Park.
Strack, vice president of operations for the Strack & Van Til stores, said the Ultra store in Joliet is not affected by the closing. He noted the company also will open an Ultra store in Crestwood next week.
“It comes down to that location (in Joliet) was not meeting our company objectives,” he said.
Store liquidation will start on June 21. The actual closing date will depend on the progress of liquidation.
The store has 70 employees. Strack said employees may be able to work elsewhere in the chain.
The Strack & Van Til store is the anchor of a strip mall at Route 59 and Caton Farm Road. Across Caton Farm is a Jewel Food Store. A Walmart Superstore is nearby. And other grocers are in the area.
Strack said competition and the economy were factors. But he also said the store lost a lot of business during the long Route 59 construction project, and many customers did not return when the road was done.
“The years of road construction really ran our business down,” he said.
The company is trying to find another store to move into the location and take over the lease.
But Strack said no store has been lined up yet.
