Wilco Sells Out to WiseWay, Strack & Van Til

WiseWay Foods and Strack & Van Til are purchasing all four stores of northwest Indiana grocery chain Wilco. Terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of August, weren’t disclosed, according to local published reports.

The purchase allows Strack & Van Til to expand into the southern portion of northwest Indiana, said Dave Wilkinson, president of the 30-store chain owned by Joliet, Ill.-based distributor Central Grocers, Inc. The acquisition will add 200 employees to the company. Wilkinson said the company continues to look for acquisition opportunities that would be a good fit for the organization.

Don Weiss, president of Merrillville, Ind.-based WiseWay Foods, said the purchase complements its network of stores in northwest Indiana. WiseWay currently operates four WiseWay stores, three PayLow discount grocery stores and a Wise Guys liquor store. “It’s a fine company, and we think it will fit in very well with our culture,” Weiss said.

Strack & Van Til will take over operations at Wilco County Markets in Lowell, Rensselaer and Cedar Lake, Ind. WiseWay will take over operations at Amelia’s County Market in Winfield.

“We look forward to the opportunities the new ownership will bring for our personnel and to the communities we have been honored to serve for so many years,” said Wilco president Linda Armstrong.

Wilco started in 1960 with a single store in Miller, Ind.