Aldi is closing its grocery store in West Pullman, in a move a Far South Side alderman said leaves the neighborhood “without a single grocery store offering affordable, high-quality fresh food.”
Aldi is the latest grocer to shutter a supermarket on the city’s South and West sides, leaving residents in the lurch and city leaders to grapple with the aftermath.
In a news release posted on social media Friday, 21st Ward Ald. Ronnie Mosley said Aldi representatives called to tell him the company was closing its 821 W. 115th St. location just days before it did on Sunday. Mosley accused the grocer of reversing course, saying company representatives had assured him a year ago the West Pullman store would be remodeled and potentially expanded.
“Our neighbors will have nowhere within walking distance to buy the food they need for their families — nowhere they can shop and return home before their ice cream melts,” Mosley said.
Aldi, which has previously shuttered grocery stores in Auburn Gresham and West Garfield Park, called the decision to close the store and another in Lincoln Park last month “difficult.”
“The recent closures are unique situations and not indicative of any larger trends,” the company said, pointing to its plans to open 800 new stores nationally over the next four years. Aldi said all employees at the shuttered stores had been offered opportunities to transfer to other locations.
Aldi said West Pullman customers could shop at “many nearby” locations, pointing to stores in Chatham, Blue Island and Calumet Park. All three stores are a short drive, but would require about an hour or more to walk to from the former West Pullman store.
City leaders in Chicago have for years grappled with their response to grocery store closings in majority Black and Latino neighborhoods on the city’s South and West sides. Mayor Brandon Johnson has floated the idea of a municipally owned grocery store or stores to help address the issue, with a feasibility study created for the city describing such a store as both “necessary” and “feasible.”
The city has previously tried its hand at land acquisition, tax incentives and grants to help attract and retain grocers in South and West side neighborhoods.
After Aldi shuttered a store in West Garfield Park in 2021, the City Council authorized the city to purchase the property for $700,000. Last week, the city announced it had selected a developer for the site, which plans to open affordable apartments and a yet-to-be-selected grocery store there.