Residents of Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood are venting their frustrations after an Aldi store abruptly closed its doors, leaving many wondering where to access fresh food.
According to the company, the store closed last month, with officials saying that all employees were offered transfers to nearby stores.
While the company says no jobs were lost, the neighborhood’s loss of easy access to fresh food is a painful reality for residents to navigate.
“All the stores in our community are closing,” one shopper told NBC Chicago. “It’s just sad that a lot of people don’t have transportation.”
The neighborhood also is reeling from the loss of a Walgreens location, with lights still left on inside.
Ald. Ronnie Mosley, who represents the city’s 21st ward, says the move feels like a slap in the race.
“They didn’t understand the ramifications of this,” she said. “They didn’t understand they were the only grocer in all of West Pullman.”
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The company issued a statement, saying that the closure is a “unique situation” and isn’t indicative of any larger trends in terms of shuttering stores.
The issue of food deserts is one that has become more pronounced in recent years. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, approximately 13% of Americans, roughly 39 million residents, were living in low-income and low-access-to-food areas in 2022.
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A “food desert” is defined as an area with low-income levels that are more than one mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.
One of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed solutions to the issue was to implement a series of city-run grocery stores, with one study by HR&A Advisors finding that three strategically placed stores could help address the bulk of the food deserts in the city, according to reporting cited by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The stores would come with an upfront cost of approximately $26.7 million, according to the city.
