One-Stop-Shopping is Coming to Berwyn as Meijer Will Bring Berwyn its Largest Retailer

BERWYN, Ill., Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On January 25, 2011, Berwyn's City Council unanimously approved a redevelopment agreement with Meijer, a full service grocery chain, to anchor its Cermak Plaza located at the intersection of Cermak Road and Harlem Avenue. Meijer currently has nearly 200 locations in the Midwest, and this newest site will be the closest location to downtown Chicago. Alderman Rafael Avila (7th Ward) stated, "Upon opening, Meijer will be the largest retailer in Berwyn and will create 100 new jobs. Cermak Plaza has come full circle in the past few years and has restored itself to an attractive shopping destination and an economic asset to the City of Berwyn. We are ecstatic about this progress."

Meijer is a privately owned and operated regional grocery chain stationed primarily in the Midwest. Founded in 1934 as a supermarket chain, Meijer pioneered the big-box supercenter concept in 1962. Recently, the chain announced a new development concept, ChicagoLand, for the urban marketplace. These urban infill stores will focus largely on grocery and pharmacy but will still offer general merchandise for a one-stop-shopping experience. "The Berwyn Development Corporation (BDC) was very interested in attracting this high quality retailer when we learned of their new urban prototype and directed our energy into making this transaction happen. Berwyn was a natural fit for their expansion plans," stated Anthony Griffin, Executive Director of the BDC.

Currently, Cermak Plaza boasts retailers such as Marshalls, Office Depot, Walgreens, and its newest addition, K&G Fashion Superstore. What's more, the shopping center has recently updated its facades and added landscaping, lighting and wind turbines to its repaved parking lot. The redevelopment of the Meijer site will bring an additional $13 million in capital investment to Berwyn.

Mayor Robert J. Lovero stated, "The City has worked diligently to bring a major, high quality retailer to Cermak Plaza. Through patience and perseverance, our negotiations yielded a fantastic new development that will bring new capital investment into Berwyn, a new shopping option, and new jobs. And even beyond that, we're bringing 90,000 square feet of retail space back online to support what we expect to be the largest sales tax generator in town."

Under the terms of the agreement, Cermak Plaza will demolish the existing building and begin construction of a new building pad in the second quarter of 2011. Construction on the new space is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2011 and be completed by the third quarter of 2012. Meijer representative Michael Flickinger said, "We feel this is a strong, diverse market, and with the support of the City of Berwyn, we feel we can fill a market need in this community. Meijer has been family-owned for over 75 years and was founded on the philosophy of taking care of our customers, team members and community. We are very happy to expand our family into Berwyn."

Additional information on the redevelopment project can be obtained through the Berwyn Development Corporation at (708) 788-8100 and www.berwyn.net.

The BERWYN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (BDC) is a public-private partnership with the City of Berwyn that provides economic development and Chamber of Commerce services to all segments of the Berwyn community. The BDC is a not-for-profit membership organization that serves over 300 business and individual members. The BDC focuses its efforts on those activities that will improve the overall climate for local businesses and residents, in addition to encouraging the development of new commercial venues and employment opportunities. The BDC continually strives to develop new programs, services and events that promote Berwyn businesses and the community.

SOURCE Berwyn Development Corporation