Longstanding efforts to breathe new life into a blighted Naperville shopping center with an upscale grocery store are soon coming to fruition.
Ohio-based Heinen’s Grocery Store will be opening its doors at 1244 E. Chicago Ave. later this year, the company announced in a news release this week. Store construction is underway, and will not only mark the grocer’s fifth location in Illinois but also the redevelopment of Naperville’s Eagle Crest Plaza shopping center.
“We couldn’t be more excited,” Heinen’s spokeswoman Jackie Shultz said. “There seems to be a very positive feeling about us coming to town, which is great. We are thrilled to be joining the Naperville community.”
Heinen’s is projecting a late summer to early fall opening, Shultz said.
The project has been in the works for nearly three years.
Heinen’s initially went before city leaders with its redevelopment aspirations in August 2022. From the start, the idea was to revitalize Eagle Crest Plaza, which became blighted due to years of neglect and deterioration by rainwater detention.
The 7.3-acre plaza was formerly anchored by Butera Market, which is the space Heinen’s is taking over. The strip mall had been home to a handful of other businesses, including a travel agency, a martial arts studio and most notably, Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant. None of them will be part of the new development.
Pepe’s closed in early 2024. Its owners opened a tavern offshoot of their former Naperville staple — dubbed “The Can” — at 34 E. Ogden Ave. in September.
Plans for bringing Heinen’s to town were finalized last summer, earning the endorsement of Naperville’s Planning and Zoning Commission in June and the Naperville City Council in August.
The new store will have 46,000 square feet, per the company’s news release. Its hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Features will include a butcher shop, specialty cheese shop and fresh flower market in addition to produce, seafood, bakery, prepared foods and grocery departments, the release said.
“At the highest level, we’re committed to quality and pay very close attention to our sourcing,” Shultz said.
There will also be an “Eat at Heinen’s” section, where patrons will be able to enjoy freshly made meals, as well as opportunities for customers of legal age to buy wine-by-the-glass or draft beer, Heinen’s says. Indoor and outdoor seating will be available on site.
Shultz said customers’ experience in store is a key focus.
“We’re committed to making the experience in our stores feel really good for customers,” she said. “One of our goals is that we want customers to leave the store feeling better than when they arrived.”
Operating for nearly a century, Heinen’s was founded in 1929 by a local butcher in Shaker Heights, Ohio, according to the company’s website. The company continues to be family-owned and today operates 19 locations in Ohio and in addition to the four across the Chicago area.
Heinen’s made its Illinois debut in Barrington 13 years ago. By 2014, the grocer had opened locations in Glenview, Bannockburn and Lake Bluff.
Beyond building out a new store, the company will be raising the surrounding plaza’s lot and providing stormwater storage beneath it.
To help pay for the stormwater improvements, the Naperville City Council approved the creation of an Eagle Crest business district in December 2022, allowing the city to collect an extra half-percent sales tax from purchases made within the district.
Revenue accrued will go towards reimbursing Heinen’s for stormwater management costs.
Reimbursement can be requested after an occupancy permit has been obtained, according to city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche. As of Thursday, no certificates of occupancy had been issued for the site, she said.
