New grocery store pitches plans to replace Northfield Mariano’s

Plans for a new Northfield grocery store are on the table – but it may be another year until residents can dig in.

An unnamed company has applied for a special-use permit with the Village of Northfield to operate a food store at 1822 Willow Road, the home of Mariano’s from 2014 until a month ago. The application notes the store is aiming for a “late 2026 or spring 2027” opening.

In its permit application, the prospective tenant is represented by attorney Chris Canning, and while a company name is not mentioned, the applicant’s narrative includes a description of “signature dining concepts” Smokehouse and BeriGood Acai Bowls, brands that are found in stores from Highland Park-based Sunset Foods.

Sunset Foods has seven north-suburban locations under two titles: Sunset Foods (5 locations) and Grand Food Center with its two stores, which Sunset Foods acquired in 2021.

Neither Canning, Sunset Foods officials nor property owner Swanson Development Group representatives returned messages from The Record.

The special-use application, which can be viewed in full online, will appear in front of Northfield’s Plan and Zoning Commission on Aug. 7 for an initial review.

In Canning’s memo to the commission, he called the tenant “an amenity that enhances the neighborhood. Losing a grocery store in this location would be a (devastating) blow to the Village Center specifically and the Village in general.”

The property owners, Swanson Development Group, are also requesting to subdivide the property at 1822 Willow to enable an outlot.

A letter to the Village of Northfield from Greg Horejs, president of Cage Engineering on behalf of Swanson, says an outlot will “enhance” the property for the new tenant.

Documents show the request is for a 12,000-square-foot outlot in the northwest corner of the property, bordering Northfield Road and Willow roads.

If it were …

John Cortesi and his uncle Adeodata Fondata founded Sunset Foods in 1937 with a grocery store in Highland Park.

Seventeen years later, they had a much larger store at Sunset Foods current Highland Park location on Green Bay Road. Locations in Northbrook (1961) and Lake Forest (1965) soon followed, and eventually Sunset opened stores in Libertyville (1998) and Long Grove (2010).

Under the leadership of third-generation CEO John Cortesi, Sunset Foods acquired longtime North Shore grocer The Grand Food Center in 2021.

According to the food-store application with the Village of Northfield, the tenant would include typical grocery-store departments — such as a deli, bakery, wine and spirits section, cold-foods section and grocery-lined aisles — as well as fresh meals from its barbecue concept Smokehouse and acai bowls from BeriGood.

The application also says the store focuses on “organic, natural and better-for-you products,” which the company pledges to bring to its new store.

Aside from robust grocery offerings listed in the application, the prospective tenant also touts its connections with its communities, such as sponsorship of local sports teams and community events, among other local engagement.

“Beyond our products, we aim to remain a cornerstone of community life,” the application reads. “We will host seasonal events, support local food producers and artisans, and continue to offer friendly, personalized service that large chain stores simply can’t match.”

The property

Now-defunct grocery store Dominick’s occupied the 47,732-square-foot building on the three-plus-acre property at 1822 Willow Road for 38 years.

Mariano’s took over in 2014 and in June exited the site in advance of its lease expiration this fall, according to village officials.

Swanson Development Group, of Chicago, reportedly acquired the property and Mariano’s lease in 2023.

The closing of Mariano’s Northfield location is part of a larger Kroger story. The brand is closing or has closed approximately 60 stores nationwide, according to a 2024 Kroger’s earnings report.

Mariano’s locations in Buffalo Grove and Northbrook, 2323 Capital Drive, are also closing; though, another location in Northbrook, 784 Skokie Blvd., will remain open.

The closings occur in the wake of a failed $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and fellow grocer giant Albertsons, which operates Jewel-Osco. The deal fell apart in December 2024 when a federal judge sided with federal regulators who claimed the merger would drive up prices and harm consumers.

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