Aldi grocery store in West Pullman closes, alderman says

CHICAGO (CBS) — Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st) blasted Aldi after its West Pullman neighborhood store closed over the weekend.
Mosley called the closure of the store at 821 W. 115th St. a betrayal.
Some residents said they were completely caught off guard by the closure. Some had never even heard about it, and arrived at the old Aldi to pick up groceries—only to leave emptyhanded.
For the alderman, the closure made for a whirlwind of emotions.
“Shock, disgust, disappointment. They just don’t get it,” he said. “This Aldi’s walked back a promise.”
Mosley said he was told the Aldi at 115th and Halsted streets was not going anywhere.
“They told us just a year ago they were here to stay, and that they were going to remodel—maybe even expanding,” said Mosley, “and on Thursday, they called me and said they’ll be closing in three days on Sunday.”
Two days after the Aldi store went out of business, residents were still driving up or walking up to find closed doors.
“Aldi’s was one of those places that again provided affordable, fresh groceries,” said Mosley. “Now it’s not here.”
Aldi said it closed two stores in the city—one at 1836 N. Clybourn Ave. in Lincoln Park last month, and the one in West Pullman on Sunday.
“They couldn’t understand the impact of closing this store,” Mosley said. “Lincoln Park doesn’t need another grocery store. It’s not a food desert. This one is.”
In West Pullman, Aldi was the last major grocery store. There is a Jewel Osco a little over a half away at 11730 S. Marshfield Ave., but the Jewel Osco is technically in Morgan Park.
There is also a Save a Lot at 10700 S. Halsted St. in Roseland, which just reopened.
Now, Mosley is calling on Aldi to give back the 115th Street store so they can do more.
“I’m calling on them to do a request for proposal, an RFP, with the City of Chicago—so that we can discuss and decide what goes here,” Mosley said.
The alderman said since big chain grocery stores have continued to fail residents in West Pullman, it is now time to look for a more local dependable option for residents.
Aldi issued this statement regarding the closing of the West Pullman store: