Woodman’s Eyes Another Location in Illinois

Low-price, big-assortment grocer submits plans for store in suburban Plainfield

1/24/2024

Woodman's shared plans for a new store and fuel center in the fast-growing suburb of Plainfield outside Chicago.

Woodman's Food Market is looking to expand its footprint in Illinois with a potential new store in a suburb southwest of Chicago. The Village of Plainfield announced this week that the employee-owned Midwest grocer submitted plans to build a 240,000-square-foot grocery store and fuel center in that community.

Woodman’s is known for its sprawling format and extensive product assortment. The parcel of land for this proposed project covers 36 acres that would include the supermarket, gas station, c-store, car wash and oil change center, as well as other lots that could be developed.

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If the plans move ahead, this would be the 7th Woodman’s Food Market in Illinois and the 20th overall location. The grocer built its last store in Bloomingdale, Ill., during the pandemic, welcoming shoppers in August 2021.

“Woodman’s has always been very deliberate in selecting locations for our new stores. This proposed location in Plainfield is consistent with our planned growth. We are confident that our proposed development will provide a long-term benefit to the residents of the Village of Plainfield and after nearly a decade of trying to secure the best location for our operations we look forward to and appreciate the opportunity to become a corporate citizen of the Village of Plainfield,” said Clint Woodman, president of Woodman’s Food Market.

City officials, who had first proposed developing a site that housed a now-shuttered Walmart store, lauded the new concept. “We are happy that Woodman’s has selected Plainfield for their next store and we look forward to working with them. They will be a great addition to the community and our residents will benefit from having more grocery options. Bringing in a new quality retailer that responds to public demand, provides jobs, and produces tax revenue is part of the equation of making the best Plainfield,” declared Plainfield Mayor John F. Argoudelis.

According to the Village, the application will remain under review over the next few months. If okayed, the project will begin later this year or in early 2025.

Janesville, Wis.-based Woodman’s has 19 stores throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois and is No. 77 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.