ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc. has made its Illinois debut in this Chicago suburb with a new banner, Mariano’s Fresh Market.
Milwaukee-based Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc. has made its Illinois debut in this Chicago suburb with a new banner, Mariano’s Fresh Market.
The store, named for Roundy’s chairman Robert Mariano, is the first of up to 18 planned for the Chicago market over the next five years.
The opening literally marks Mariano’s return to the Chicago area, where he served as chief executive officer of Dominick’s Finer Food before that chain was acquired by Safeway Inc. in 1998. Roundy’s subsequently recruited a number of staffers from Dominick’s.
The flagship Mariano’s measures 68,000 square feet and contains a sushi bar and a gelato bar. The deli offers made-to-order sandwiches and other prepared foods, including hamburgers and steaks. Health and wellness merchandising includes a kiosk in the pharmacy area that provides advice and menus geared to certain health conditions.
A second Mariano’s is currently slated to open in downtown Chicago next year in a two-story property on Randolph Street.
