What A Shocker: Cub Foods Out Of Chicago

Now there's one less grocery purveyor in Chicago.*

http://www.suntimes.com/business/80551, ... 02.article

How high will Jewel's and Dominick's prices go? I currently find them to be generally on par with Whole Foods now (except for meat and cheeses, but Whole Foods' quality and selection on those fronts is vastly superior than either Dominicks or Jewel).

*Some stores will re-open under a different name, but my guess is that it's the beginning of the end for what's left of this chain.

Man. I hope the one near me isn't closing for good.

Cub Foods has been such a non-factor in most of the Chicagoland area for several years. When they came into the market, they were low-cost, self service. However, they are just another grocery store.

My response is "who cares?"

At the local Cub Foods in Crystal Lake, there is ONE cashier at NOON versus EIGHT at Jewel's.

What is generally happening with these closures - like what happened when Eagle filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code - is that the vacant space is leased by a smaller independent who generally offers better service (at lower prices) than the chain that they replace.

Within ten miles of here (Crystal Lake), there at least twenty DIFFERENT grocery options from the low-cost (Aldi's and SuperValu's Deals stores) tp the HyperMart (Meijers and WalMart in a couple of months) and pretty much everything in between. Cub will not be missed much.

One note. When Eagle closed in Woodstock, the local Jewel was charging $1.99 for a dozen Grade A eggs. When Wisted's opened in that spot, eggs at both markets dropped to 0.79.

jlawrence,

My compliments to you on your keen observations of supermarkets and how they conduct themselves.

Regards,

I think the NEXT question is how long Dominick's will remain in business? They are a major drain on the Safeway earnings and have steadily declining market share in this area - down to about 16%. I understand that when they were a local chain, they were about the same size as Jewel.

All I know is that in the 8-10 McHenry Co. and Lake Co. Dominick's stores that I will occasionally frequent, at least 30% of their meat and dairy has pink stickers which means that they are close to out of date. That means that they are turing their inventory very frequently/

I wonder if Cub's leaving has anything to do with the arrival of Kroger's Food For Less (one in Evanston, one opening in Englewood, several on the south side) since they operate under the low-cost less service idea as well.

From my point of view Dominicks is a non-entity already. The closest ones to me (NE corner of Mt Prospect) are either near Golf Mill, the Glen or uh, I have no idea. North of Palatine on Rand, perhaps? The two that were nearby have both closed in the last five years: Mt Prospect Plaza (Central and Rand) last year, and the one up on Rand near Willow/Thomas (which was a big "Fresh" store and some other brand which Dominick's bought up before that).

The latter is STILL vacant after several years, but at least the former is being replaced with one of the small-chain produce markets.

Cub? The closest is Rand and Palatine, and I've been in there maybe once when I was in the neighborhood doing something else nearly too shameful to mention here (eating at Olive Garden or Chili's)

Supervalu divested their Cub stores in the Chicago area to secure antitrust clearance to buy Jewel as part of their acquisition of much of Albertsons. The buyers were private equity firms led by Cerberus Capital Management. The expectation was that this buyer would split up and flip the stores, which is what they have done. This was a real estate deal.

It is interesting that 20 of the 21 remaining stores are being sold to grocery operators who will reopen the stores under different labels. There seem to be more firms interested in entering the Chicago market, which should boost competition. Meanwhile, the small independent chains such as Cermak Produce, Tony's Finer Foods and Walt's seem to be growing. The southern and far western suburbs are emerging as battlegrounds with new entrants seizing good locations ahead of the two big, old moribund chains. Whether Supervalu will be able to turn Jewel around is an open question, particularly in view of how poorly run some of the Cub stores were under Supervalu's ownership.

I've heard SuperValu will do away with the "preferred card" and lower their prices.All i know is i can buy a box of Dove bars at Super H for $4.05 (everyday) or $5.55 at Jewel(everyday).Meanwhile Cub carries a few things i can't find elsewhere so i was sad when i heard this.
No matter what i do,it seems like i can't get out of Jewel without spending 40 bucks!

grant wrote:eanwhile Cub carries a few things i can't find elsewhere so i was sad when i heard this.

Grant,

I'll miss Cub for one reason and one reason only, turkey thighs. Cub is, soon to be was, the only store in the Chicagoland area that always, as in 95% of the time, carried bone-in skin-on turkey thighs.

Turkey thighs exemplify all that I like about poultry, they are extremely versatile, though really shine when given a light brine/marinade and hot/smoke roasted with apple or hickory wood, e.g. on a smoker running at 350°.

Suggestions for a reliable source of turkey things appreciated.

Enjoy,
Gary

Funny, I'd completely forgotten that, but I am always on the lookout for turkey thighs myself and usually stock up, preseumably on the rare occasions that I'm at Cub

When I first came to town in the seventies, Dominick's and Jewel were definitely co-equal.

For me, I think Dominick's' decline started when they revamped their stores to put that "gourmet deli counter" thing in the aisle that is the entry point to the store. From a "maximizing profit per square foot" point of view, it probably seemed brilliant. From a customer's point of view, it's just counterintuitive. Let me think about the basics first, like produce, dairy, what have you, before you try to sell me your premade foods--or, follow Jewel's example by letting me pick which aisle I want to start with rather than forcing me into your high-profit aisle first just because that's where you want me to be.

G Wiv wrote:Suggestions for a reliable source of turkey things appreciated.

I would try Woodman's in Carpentersville. For a while, they were selling turkey thighs as well as "debreasted whole turkeys" if you know what I mean. I would call them first before making a journey.


I have only lived in this market a tad over six years. Most locals have told me that Dominick's Finer Foods had GREAT store brands before the Safeway acquisition that were gradually phased out.

Be happy that you live in a market with so many options. So many markets have 2-3 players ... and the prices reflect it.

Looks like most of em will be turned into Strack and VanTils and a few Garden Fresh stores.

http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progre ... 1003190182

There is now a Woodman's in North Aurora at Orchard Road and Oak Street, Orchard is an exit on I-88. Since they have been open we have not shopped anywhere else. Their selection is great and includes a very impressive array of ethnic and organic foods. A good amount of their brands are Wisconsin manufactured and they have a very large selection of dairy products.

This news makes me very unhappy. Cub Foods is the only 24-hour supermarket left in my neighborhood; both Jewel and Dominick's have curtailed their hours. I guess I will be schlepping out to Meijer and Woodman's more often.

The trouble with smaller chains and independent stores is that they often have limited hours. Most of those near me close by 9 p.m. at the latest.

I was a die hard Cub Foods fans until Aaron Deacon introduced me to Tony's Finer Foods.

Tony's isn't as trendy, doesn't have as much gourmet (for that there is Treasure Island), nor is itr developed for squeezing every last dime out of its floor space.

What Tony's offers, that consistently keeps me coming back, are consistently low prices on good quality fresh meat, dairy and produce items. Something simple, like a 2 pound chuck roast, that would cost $10-$12 in Jewel, sells for half that price at Tony's.

YourPalWill wrote:I was a die hard Cub Foods fans until Aaron Deacon introduced me to Tony's Finer Foods.

Tony's isn't as trendy, doesn't have as much gourmet (for that there is Treasure Island), nor is itr developed for squeezing every last dime out of its floor space.

What Tony's offers, that consistently keeps me coming back, are consistently low prices on good quality fresh meat, dairy and produce items. Something simple, like a 2 pound chuck roast, that would cost $10-$12 in Jewel, sells for half that price at Tony's.

I like Tony's - there's even one about 200 yards away from where I live. I only go to pick up one or two things at a time though because it's always unbelievably crowded. The lines to the cashiers back into the opening of the aisles behind them, making it so that you can't get by with your own cart.

I'm with you Will. Tony's is great. I never use Dominick's or Jewel but I'm at Tony's three times a week (I walk by one every day, so that helps).

Beyond the simple stuff that makes Tony's a very good spot for basic meats, produce, and deli, they have a ton of hidden gems inside the store:

House-made chorizo
Great thin-sliced pork chops in adobo (perfect for a quick weeknight dinner)
House-made Italian sausage
Tortillas still warm from the tortilerillas on 47th, even at 7pm
Delicious rotisserie chickens (four bucks!)
The cheapest prices on milk that I've seen oustide Costco

Best,
Michael

LAZ wrote:This news makes me very unhappy. Cub Foods is the only 24-hour supermarket left in my neighborhood; both Jewel and Dominick's have curtailed their hours. I guess I will be schlepping out to Meijer and Woodman's more often.

The trouble with smaller chains and independent stores is that they often have limited hours. Most of those near me close by 9 p.m. at the latest.

Woodman's is open 24 hours. Cash, check or debit only.

What I liked about Cub is that, compared to Jewel and Dominick's, you could purchase staples -- butter, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, sour cream, milk -- for a reasonable, sometimes even low, price. Everytime I run into Dominick's for one of those items, I have sticker shock. For me, 95% of the typical megamart grocery store is useless. But when I have to shop there, I don't want to pay $2.99 for a dozen eggs. My grandmother is rolling over in her grave at the thought.

As for Meijer, the Meijer I frequent in Michigan is slightly cheaper than its Jewel/Dominicks counterparts, but I never found it to be as cheap as Cub with respect to staples.

I'm disappointed, but not surprised. The Cub four blocks from my house was useful when I didn't feel like driving the three miles to Meijer. Cub also had a good selection of ethnic sauces, marinades, etc.

But to be fair, I really don't care. I go to either Cub and Meijer once a month combined, to buy things which I don't want to buy from Costco in bulk (salad dressing, Lipton/Knorr rice mixes, ice cream). If this Ultra can still carry a 2L bottle of sugar-free Canada Dry for $1.09, I'll be fine.

I never go to Jewel since I moved from Elmhurst (where I lived across the street from it). I go to the Dominicks on Roosevelt and Canal to buy soft drinks for our office, and will occasionally pick up some non-refrigerated items for myself as well. It's mostly Costco and Nature's Best, Cub/Meijer every once in a while, and some TJ's and Whole Foods.

Ultra Foods is basicly the discount version of Strack & Van Tills and
are owned by them. Stores aren't as fancy and you bag your own
groceries...sort of like Food 4 Less stores. Great loss leaders and good
prices overall.
You can see ads for both chains here...

http://www.ultra-foods.com/printads.cfm?storeID=462
http://www.strackandvantil.com/printads ... ore_id=445

I shopped at a Strack & VanTils a couple of years ago and remember that it was a big improvement over Jewel or Dominicks.

I'm going to miss the Cub Foods in Melrose Park, but for those of you who don't know Ultra Foods, it's really not bad. I posted this review two years ago now, and I'm still pretty pleased. They're even slowly starting to get in some organic produce. The fried chicken from the deli is pretty good too.

Ultra Foods' prices are great, but I'm not particularly impressed by their selection, especially in the produce dept. I always found the selection and freshness at Cub on Elston to be vastly superior to Ultra Foods, and generally superior to Jewel and Dominick's, which isn't saying much.

I won't miss Cub, but I do welcome Food4Less, the Kroger-based discount chain, for the basics. It'll never beat out independents like Marketplace on Oakton. but as a basic - everyday grocery it beats Jewl/Dominicks.

Ann Fisher wrote:I'm going to miss the Cub Foods in Melrose Park, but for those of you who don't know Ultra Foods, it's really not bad. I posted this review two years ago now, and I'm still pretty pleased. They're even slowly starting to get in some organic produce. The fried chicken from the deli is pretty good too.

That sounds encouraging. Meat and produce (besides the occasional onion or bag of carrots) are the two things I never buy at Cub or Meijer anyway. The funny thing is that my Cub (75th/Lemont) just spent a bunch of money last year rennovating the produce and deli areas.

I'm a happily transplanted and proud Chicagoan, but I've been wondering about this for years.

In Texas, there were HEB, Randall's and Krogers. In Florida, Piggly Wiggly and Winn-Dixie. In California, Ralph's and Von's. All had better selections, prices, deli choices, and fresher meat and produce than Jewel or Dominick's.

Why is the major grocer landscape here so bleak? Lack of real competition? History (independent neighborhood grocers)? Lack of affordable build-out space? Lord, if only there were a Mitsuwa in the city (as there is in L.A.).

I regularly shop at Tony's and a number of indy/small chain ethnic grocers with glee, but there are those weary times when you just want to make one stop on the way home.

There once was a rumor of a Trader Joe's opening in my neighborhood at the shuttered Dominick's (Pulaski/Lawrence), but there's a Staples (?) going up. I hear that there's a new Whole Foods going in further North, but, yow!, the sticker shock . . . .

Cheers,
Wade

Chicago has had a strange history with grocery chains.
As a child, Dominick's always seemed to have a slight edge in produce over Jewel, whose Jewel/Osco/Turnstyle megashop in Skokie was 20 years ahead of Walmart's and K-Mart's super stores.

Meanwhile, I watched National and A&P attempt to make inroads and implode.

A few trivia notes: National, A&P and Jewel were all originally tea and dry goods companies, I believe, while Dominick's grew out of a local produce mart.
Jewel was identified as the country's largest florist a few years back. Whether they still are I don't know.