Crystal Lake Mariano’s on list to be sold pending grocery store merger

The Crystal Lake Mariano’s is listed to be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers if a merger between Kroger and Alberston’s is finalized, pending a court case with the Federal Trade Commission.

Kroger announced this week four Jewel-Osco and 31 Mariano locations in Illinois are on the list to be sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers. The Crystal Lake Mariano’s, located at 105 Northwest Highway, is the only location listed in McHenry County.

The branding is also being sold and the stores will remain as Mariano’s, Crystal Lake Community Development Director Kathryn Cowlin said.

Kroger is the parent company of Mariano’s, and Albertsons is the parent company of Jewel-Osco.

The FTC filed a lawsuit in February to block the $24.6 billion merger alleging the deal is anticompetitive, according to an FTC news release. If Kroger were to acquire Albertsons, it would be the largest supermarket merger in U.S. history, according to the release. Illinois is one of the eight states along with the District of Columbia listed as parties with the FTC in the lawsuit.

An updated merger agreement to sell certain stores, distribution centers and plant locations to C&S nationwide for $2.9 billion was announced in April. No stores are expected to close, employees will remain employed and union protections including benefits will stay if the merger is finalized, according to a Kroger news release.

“We have reached an agreement with C&S for an updated divestiture package that maintains Kroger’s commitments to customers, associates and communities, addresses concerns raised by regulators, and will further ensure that C&S can successfully operate the divested stores as they are operated today,” Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said in the release. “Importantly, the updated divestiture plan continues to ensure no stores will close as a result of the merger and that all frontline associates will remain employed, all existing collective bargaining agreements will continue, and associates will continue to receive industry-leading health care and pension benefits alongside bargained-for wages. Our proposed merger with Albertsons will bring lower prices and more choices to more customers and secure the long-term future of unionized grocery jobs.”

The exact potential impact to customers and employees remains unclear.

“We are confident this expanded divestiture package will provide the stores, supporting assets and expert operators needed to ensure these stores continue to successfully serve their communities for many generations to come,” C&S CEO Eric Winn said in the release.

Kroger and Albertsons first announced plans to merge in 2022. The Crystal Lake Mariano’s was sold for $36 million to an anonymous buyer the same year. The purchase was strictly for real estate and the grocery store did not change.

The purchase of these stores will position C&S as one of the leading grocery retailers in the country, C&S Vice President of Communications, Change Management and Community Relations Lauren La Bruno said in an email to the Northwest Herald.

“In order to ensure these stores continue to thrive, we also will be welcoming hundreds of highly skilled grocery retail veterans and tens of thousands of store associates from Kroger and Albertsons who are currently responsible for these stores,” La Bruno said. “C&S acquiring these stores also will benefit store associates, customers, consumers, communities and our wholesale customers.”

All fuel centers and pharmacies associated with the stores will remain with the stores and continue to operate, according to the Kroger news release.

Here’s the full list of stores in Illinois to be sold:

Jewel-Osco — 12001 S. Pulaski Road, Alsip

Mariano’s — 802 E. Northwest Hwy., Arlington Heights

Mariano’s — 144 S. Gary Ave., Bloomingdale

Jewel-Osco — 87 W. 87th St., Chicago

Mariano’s — 3350 N. Western Ave., Chicago

Mariano’s — 5353 N. Elston Ave., Chicago

Mariano’s — 1800 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago

Mariano’s — 5201 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago

Mariano’s — 1500 N. Clybourn Ave., Suite 104, Chicago

Mariano’s — 3030 N. Broadway, Suite 100, Chicago

Mariano’s — 3857 S. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Chicago

Mariano’s — 105 Northwest Hwy., Crystal Lake

Mariano’s — 2999 Waukegan Road, Deerfield

Mariano’s — 10 E. Golf Road, Des Plaines

Mariano’s — 678 N. York St., Elmhurst

Mariano’s — 21001 S. LaGrange Road, Frankfort

Mariano’s — 6655 Grand Ave., Gurnee

Jewel-Osco — 1537 N. Larkin Ave., Joliet

Mariano’s — 1350 E. Route 22, Lake Zurich

Mariano’s — 345 W. Roosevelt Ave., Lombard

Mariano’s — 1300 S. Naper Blvd., Naperville

Mariano’s — 784 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook

Mariano’s — 11000 S. Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn

Mariano’s — 9504 142nd St., Orland Park

Mariano’s — 545 N. Hicks Road, Palatine

Jewel-Osco — 12803 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights

Mariano’s — 1900 S. Cumberland Ave., Park Ridge

Mariano’s — 950 Brook Forest Ave., Shorewood

Mariano’s — 3358 W. Touhy Ave., Skokie