Amazingly, it's been 507 days since we posted "Rumor has it...Trader Joe's Moving into old Sams Space!" and today this officially isn't a rumor (ok it hasn't been a rumor for a number of months, but you get what we're saying).
While it seems sort of silly to get excited about a grocery store opening in the neighborhood, this signifies a bigger trend. More and more businesses/restaurants/bars/stores are opening in the neighborhood.
Although we don't give all the credit to Trader Joe's, we think this news has spurred positive retail momentum in the neighborhood (see post on "The Impact of Trader Joe's") . Simply look across the street and you now see movement at an old eye-sore that appears to be coming down and being replaced with a new building.
Besides this the Chicago Sun-Times states that they're hiring a lot of people in and around the neighborhood:
More than 1,600 people came to the store — site of a shuttered Sam’s Wine & Spirits — to apply for jobs, said store captain Missy Brown.Anyway, enjoy some two buck chuck and let us know what you think about the new store!
Company spokespeople declined to say Tuesday how many workers each store employs, but insiders say it can range from 60 to 70.
The privately held Trader Joe’s, owned by the same German company that operates Aldi grocery stores, pays above-union wages to full-time workers, contributes to employees’ 401(k)s, and provides medical, dental and vision coverage to employees who work an average of 20 hours a week and their dependents, according to articles in trade and national magazines. Employees receive 10 percent discounts on store goods, according to the reports.
Forty percent of those hired at the South Loop store at 1224 S. Wabash live within a 3-mile radius, Brown said.