<p>In the wake of Safeway's recent announcement that it is intending to exit the Chicago market where it operates 72 Dominick's stores, the company has now revealed it plans to close all unsold Dominick's grocery stores on December 28, 2013. According to a company memo cited in Crain’s Chicago Business, Dewayne Howard, Dominick's director of human resources, said all employees will be "separated" and "the closures are expected to be permanent."</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Safeway has sold four of its Dominick's stores in the greater Chicago area to New Albertsons, Inc., which operates Jewel-Osco grocery stores. The stores will continue to operate under the Dominick's banner until Jewel-Osco can complete their conversion to Jewel-Osco stores. Dominick's will be working with Jewel-Osco and the unions to ease the transition for store employees, and to facilitate continued employment for as many of them as possible.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Other grocery competitors are reportedly eyeing the other locations.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>"The communication is consistent with what we've publicly said about our efforts to find purchasers for as many of the stores as possible," Teena Massingill, Safeway's Director of Corporate Public Affairs, wrote in an email as reported by Crain's.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“While they will probably get some of the bigger deals done, buyers of individual stores will move much slower,” said Neil Stern, a senior partner at Chicago retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle. “Expect a fair (number of stores) to go dark given the tight deadline.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Mr. Stern notes that Mariano's, a division of Roundy's Inc., will certainly be looking to acquire a number of stores, as Safeway's exit offers a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">New Albertsons could likely pick up a few more locations as well. Mr. Stern says possible deals with smaller, local businesses including Angelo Caputo's Fresh Markets, Pete's Fresh Market, Sunset Foods and Treasure Island Foods will likely take longer and may occur after the date of closure.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20131031/NEWS07/131039940/safeway-puts-expiration-date-on-unsold-dominicks-stores?utm_source=NEWS07&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=chicagobusiness" target="_new"> Safeway</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
