Fareway Fulfills Grocery Needs of Illinois Village

Midwest grocer Fareway Stores Inc. is fulfilling the grocery needs of a residential community in northwest Illinois. The food retailer has revealed plans to construct an approximately 17,000-square-foot store at the southeast corner of 1st Street and Route 6 in Coal Valley. This project is tentatively planned for 2026.

“We're thrilled to announce the arrival of Fareway to the Village of Coal Valley, marking a significant milestone in our community's journey. After six years of collaboration, we're delighted to welcome back a local grocery store, with Fareway as our ideal partner,” said Mayor Mike Bartels.

Coal Valley currently has only a Dollar General for its grocery needs. 

“Communities depend on a local grocer to offer high-quality products and unmatched service. We look forward to offering these qualities to Coal Valley and area residents with a new Fareway store,” noted Fareway CEO Reynolds W. Cramer. “We want to thank city officials and economic development for helping make this project possible.”

“Being able to bring a grocery store such as Fareway to our community will be such a wonderful asset for our residents,” added Village Administrator Penny Mullen.

According to Fareway, the new store will provide high-quality meat, a full-service butcher counter, farm-fresh produce and quality customer service, including to-your-car carryout. The new store will also offer FastLanes, a self-service checkout option, and online shopping and curbside pickup, available at Shop.Fareway.com.

“Beyond fulfilling our need for a grocery store, Fareway's presence has the potential to stimulate economic growth by generating jobs, supporting local businesses and fostering further development in the area,” said Bartels.

Elsewhere, Fareway hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new, relocated Fareway store in Spirit Lake, Iowa, earlier in the month. The new site will replace the existing Spirit Lake Fareway store at a new location at the northeast corner of 175th Street and Highway 71. The new construction will provide for an approximately 21,000-square-foot store.

Additionally, Fareway plans to build new stores in Valley, Neb., and Basehor, Kan.

Family-owned Fareway employs more than 12,000 associates at its 135-plus stores located in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. The company is No. 90 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company a Top Regional Grocer for 2024. Last year, Fareway revealed that it was moving its headquarters from Boone, Iowa, to Johnston, Iowa, which is closer to Des Moines.