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Buffalo Grove stands a tax break away from a local grocery battle
Fresh Farms, which has a store in Wheeling, plans to open a third location in Buffalo Grove pending a tax incentive request. The company explained that it focuses on produce and international products. | Buzz Orr~Sun-Times Media
BUFFALO GROVE — Opening a new grocery store across the street from an already established grocer may look like a curious idea, but the planners at Fresh Farms International Market are confident in their product.
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Updated: September 11, 2012 8:48AM
BUFFALO GROVE — Opening a new grocery store across the street from an already established grocer may look like a curious idea, but the planners at Fresh Farms International Market are confident in their product.
They said their import- and produce-heavy operation targets a different demographic than the Dominick’s supermarket around the corner.
“Our customer is not the Dominick’s customer,” said Nick Vittore, real estate manager for Svigos Asset Management, which aims to bring Fresh Farms’ third location to the Cambridge Commons shopping center on the southeast corner of Buffalo Grove and Dundee roads.
“We’re looking for more of an international shopper.”
The original Fresh Farms location opened in 1980 on Devon Avenue in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. Today, the operation has two locations: Milwaukee Avenue and Dundee Road in Wheeling, and 5740 W. Touhy Ave., in Niles.
Both locations offer large deli selections with an array of international cheeses and a large produce section, Vittore said. Customers rarely come to Fresh Farms looking for non-perishable packages, he said.
Vittore estimated that Fresh Farms’ dry food sales are about 5 percent of Dominick’s volume.
“We probably sell more varieties of seafood than anybody else in Chicagoland,” he boasted, including about 70 varieties that are never frozen.
To locate in Buffalo Grove, Fresh Farms is seeking a tax-incentive package from Village Hall. The Village Board is scheduled to consider the request during its Monday, Sept. 10, meeting.
Vittore said that without a tax break, the company would not be able to open a third location.
“These days, it’s very difficult to do these types of projects without some kind of support,” he said.
Should Buffalo Grove trustees approve, it would move the Fresh Farms one step closer to taking over the location that had once been a Dominick’s. The store offers 30,000 square feet with about 200 parking spots. Dominick’s then moved to a new store on the northwest corner of the same intersection.
Vittore said Fresh Farms planners are still working on a building plan as well. If all goes smoothly, the new location could be open in a year and a half.
He said the company previously considered opening stores in Chicago, but called the process working with Chicago’s City Hall a nightmare. Vittore complimented Village Manager Dane Bragg’s drive to get Buffalo Grove’s economy moving again.
“Our experience with Dane in particular has been excellent,” Vittore said.
