Is a City-Owned Grocery Store Coming to Chicago?
A government grocery store has moved closer from speculation to possibility in one major market. According to the Chicago Tribune, a study conducted by the HR&A consulting firm concluded that a city-owned supermarket is “necessary, feasible and implementable.”
The outside analysts suggested that the city work with a nonprofit grocery operator to run such markets. A network of three stores is estimated to cost at least $27.7 million.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson brought up the idea in 2023, announcing that his administration would work with the nonprofit Economic Security Project to explore the retail option. A year later, the study affirmed the need for such a store, based on the number of local food deserts and a lack of access to fresh foods in some neighborhoods. The authors asserted that grocers are “typically unwilling to take the market risk that these neighborhoods present.”
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S. Mayumi Grigsby, the city’s policy chief, told the Chicago Tribune that gaps in grocery service led to the proposal for municipal intervention. “We truly believe that public options can increase access, affordability and services in areas where government really should be leaning in and leading the way,” Grigsby remarked.
Following a review of the study, officials said that the next step is for the city to finalize a proposal and secure grants or other funding. Last year, a City of Chicago spokesperson said that these kinds of stores would be the first city-owned supermarket in a major metropolitan area. That said, local governments have been involved in eradicating food deserts, including those in rural areas.
