Northfield Mariano’s to close at noon on Friday

Mariano’s supermarket in the Northfield area is preparing to close its doors permanently this Friday, a decision made well in advance of its lease expiration date in the fall. Signs announcing the closure have been prominently displayed on the store’s entrance and inside the premises.

The impending closure of the Northfield Mariano’s was first announced by the Village of Northfield in February, a piece of news that was met with surprise and disappointment. Despite this setback, town officials have maintained a positive outlook regarding the future of the retail space, citing a high level of interest from potential lessees.

As of Wednesday, Northfield Village Manager Patrick Brennan revealed that no specific replacement business has been identified yet for the sizable property. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that an announcement regarding a new tenant would be made soon, which would provide a clearer timeline for the establishment to open its doors to customers.

The Northfield Mariano’s, established in 2014, had been the site of various grocery stores for at least four decades, with the current 47,732-square-foot establishment opening in 2014 following the acquisition of the location by Mariano’s parent company (then Roundy’s, now Kroger). This purchase included 10 other locations previously operated by Dominick’s, the grocer that occupied the space for nearly 40 years before Mariano’s took over.

The property was reportedly sold to the Swanson Development Group in 2023 for $13.1 million. As the closure date approaches, the shelves at the Northfield Mariano’s are increasingly sparse, with remaining items being offered at a discount of up to 75% until the store’s closing time on Friday at noon.

The closure of the Northfield Mariano’s is just one part of a larger trend at Kroger, which is in the process of shutting down approximately 60 stores nationwide over the next 18 months. This also includes Mariano’s locations in Buffalo Grove and another Northbrook establishment on Capital Drive, although a different Northbrook store on Skokie Boulevard will remain open.

The decision to close multiple Mariano’s stores follows the breakdown of a proposed $24.6 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons, the parent company of Jewel-Osco. This merger was halted in December 2024 after a federal judge ruled in favor of regulatory concerns that the consolidation would lead to increased prices and harm consumers.

In response, Albertsons filed a lawsuit seeking $6 billion in damages from Kroger, alleging that Kroger had failed to divest assets as agreed upon in the merger agreement, thereby violating regulatory requirements.

The impending closure of the Northfield Mariano’s is part of a larger narrative involving changes in the grocery retail landscape on a national scale, impacting communities and customer choices alike. As stores like Mariano’s make way for new opportunities, residents and officials in Northfield are looking toward the future with anticipation for what may fill the space left behind by the departing grocery store.