A Peoria City Council member hopes Kroger will be open to supporting the community as it prepares to close a store in her district.
Denise Jackson represents District 1 that is home to one of the supermarket chain’s locations on North Sterling Avenue.
Earlier this week, a Kroger spokesperson told WCBU the Sterling Avenue store is closing in early August as part of a company-wide plan that is expected to close 60 locations over the next 18 months.
“Anytime you hear about a grocery store closing, especially a full service grocery store that’s been in your community for a long time, it’s sad. It’s almost like a school closing,” said Jackson. “Grocery stores are a staple. They’re part of those core basic needs — food, shelter and clothing.”
Jackson said the Sterling Avenue Kroger is a particularly impactful loss for her district, callling Sterling Avenue an “arterial” road traveled by thousands of people every day. The Kroger location serves multiple neighborhoods, including Forest Hills, Wardcliffe and Gale Avenue.
“Thriving neighborhoods and people who have utilized that grocery store for a long time,” said Jackson. “I go there to shop and I don’t live in close proximity to that grocery store, as do many other people around the city of Peoria.”
Jackson said there are community efforts to fill the gap left behind by grocery stores leaving the area. Services like the Peoria Grown-run Market 309 and plans for a locally-owned grocery store on Western Avenue cropped up in the aftermath of the closing of other Kroger locations in 2018.
Jackson said the concept of city-owned grocery stores are interesting and warrant further exploration. It’s a policy proposal touted by Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani in New York City’s mayoral race that received widespread national attention this week.
However, Jackson thinks some assistance could start with the company, Kroger, itself.
“Kroger prides itself on giving back to the community in the way of its participation in hunger programs and things of that nature,” she said. “So I am very interested in seeing if we could talk to them about some type of auxiliary services. Maybe they could provide us with inventory, inventory to service these communities where they have created food deserts.”
While she has limited authority over what may fill the large commercial space that will be open on Sterling Avenue, Jackson said she wants to advocate for viable food alternatives.
