EXCLUSIVE: Jewel-Osco Unveils Latest Store in 125th Year
The latest Jewel, as it turns out, is a Diamond. The newest Jewel-Osco store was unveiled on Oct. 22 in Diamond, Ill., and the story behind the opening mirrors that of a gem waiting to be uncovered and polished to perfection.
“This has been 25 years in the making,” Jewel-Osco President Mike Withers told Progressive Grocer during the soft opening event, noting that the property at 2707 E. Division Street was acquired more than two decades ago. The timing was right to make it happen, as the area southwest of the city of Joliet in Grundy County continues to grow and the need for a full-service supermarket remained acute.
[RELATED: Jewel-Osco Marks 125th Anniversary in Chicago]
In his remarks to the crowd ahead of the ribbon cutting, Withers thanked the Village of Diamond Mayor Teresa “Terry” Kernc for her tireless efforts in working with Jewel-Osco, other civic leaders and the community. "You have a little bit of the Jewel in you – you don't take no for an answer. You have been so supportive with anything and everything we've needed. We look forward to serving this community for many, many years to come,” he said.
According to Ken Rinaldi, SVP of retail operations for Jewel-Osco, the Diamond store is currently staffed by 185 associates. “We have some that came from other Jewel stores who are certainly very experienced. And then we have several people from the community, and we're looking to hire more as well,” he shared. The employees are as eager as the residents in the town of 2,640 people to have a new local grocery store, Rinaldi added.
The Diamond location reflects the latest in Jewel-Osco’s store design and assortment, spanning 62,918 square feet. The produce department, across from an onsite Starbucks and adjacent to the floral department, features a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables merchandised in creative, eye-catching displays. From there, shoppers can browse an expanded deli department, spotlighting Boar’s Head products and featuring a wide variety of grab-and-go and fresh prepared foods.
During the soft opening on Oct. 22, shoppers could get right into the spirit of the seasons, with displays centered on Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Customers also got a chance to sample fare from vendor partners and toast to the grand opening with a short glass of sparkling cider or Prosecco sparkling wine.
The Diamond store is the 189th Jewel-Osco location in the Chicagoland area. Parent company Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates 2,269 retail stores with 1,725 pharmacies in 34 states, 403 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The company has stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 banners. Albertsons is No. 9 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century.
