21st Ward Alderman Speaks Out On Recent Store Closure

21st Ward Alderman Ronnie Mosley. PHOTO PROVIDED BY RONNIE MOSLEY
21st Ward Alderman Ronnie Mosley. PHOTO PROVIDED BY RONNIE MOSLEY

21st Ward Alderman Speaks Out On Recent Store Closure 

By Tia Carol Jones

Aldi Grocery Store recently announced the closure of its store, which was located at 821 W. 115th and Halsted. 

Ronnie Moseley, 21st Ward Alderman, said he reached out to Aldi to find out the status of the location, given the fact that the Walgreen’s location across the street closed in 2023. He said he was told that the Aldi would be remodeled. He said he didn’t hear anything else from them until Nov. 7th, when Aldi called to tell him that they decided to close the 115th and Halsted location. He said he was shocked by the decision.

“These are essential parts of our community, you need somewhere to go to get your odds and ends, and you need somewhere to get groceries to put food on the table,” Moseley said.

Moseley said there is not another grocery store in the West Pullman area, from 115th and goes all the way to 127th, from Indiana on the east, to Ashland on the west end. 

“It’s the impact of our store. The only grocery store in all of West Pullman that is servicing seniors and those who are doing the best they can with their budget, I feel there was no consideration for them,” he said.

In a statement sent to the Citizen Newspaper Group by The Zeno Group, which represents Aldi, Aldi’s spokesperson wrote in an email: “ALDI will continue to proudly serve the Chicago metropolitan area at our more than 150 stores, including more than 30 within the city , as well as our distribution center and headquarters in Batavia, Illinois. ALDI employs nearly 6,000 people in the area while offering highly competitive pay and benefits.  The recent closures are unique situations and not indicative of any larger trends. In fact, we recently announced our intention to hire more than 13,000 associates as we embark on our most ambitious growth plans yet, aiming to open 800 new stores by the end of 2028.  

We strive to create an environment where our employees can thrive. We are proud to say all impacted employees have been offered a transfer to a store of their choice and no jobs will be lost.   

Customers can conveniently shop at one of our many nearby stores, through curbside pickup or have groceries delivered to their door via Instacart and DoorDash: 12215 Western Ave., Blue Island, IL 60406; 13085 S. Ashland Ave., Calumet Park, IL 60827; and 8500 S. Holland Rd., Chicago, IL 60620 

We thank the community for their years of loyalty and look forward to seeing them in nearby stores soon.”

The statement also noted that it closed its Lincoln Park location at 1836 N. Clybourn on Oct.13th.

Moseley said that Aldi told him that the employees from the closed location would be transferred to other stores and that his constituents could shop at other Aldi locations that are within a 15-minute drive from the closed store. 

“I said, driving? The majority of the customers here are walking, taking the bus. The representative said we have a partnership with Instacart and DoorDash, to which I responded is it free, is there a voucher or a coupon code? And, she said no,” he said.

Moseley said the assumption that people who shopped at the store could drive to another location or not know the additional impact of fees from using DoorDash or Instacart shows that they didn’t know their customers, who were very loyal to the brand. He said the whole thing is disrespectful to not take the time to get to know their customers, as well as the lack of notice to those same customers about the store closing.

Moseley said the representative from Aldi told him the store was seeing declining performance and low pedestrian traffic. He said he responded by telling the representative about the housing development projects that are slated for the community, some right across the street.

Moseley said his constituents told him they feel hopeless in the wake of the Aldi and Walgreen’s departure. He said although it might seem hopeless there are so many people working to ensure the 21st Ward thrives. There are talks to bring an ‘urgent care’ and pharmacy to the closed Walgreen’s location. In the mall where the Aldi closed, there are talks to put a sit-down restaurant there. 

Moseley said he has been in conversation with the Mayor’s Office and World Business Chicago. He said because Aldi owns the property, there has to be a joint Request For Proposals with the city for the location, so it will not just sit vacant, like other locations that the chain has closed.

“So many of our residents are hurt and angry and I get it, because I was hurt and angry and still am, and this lack of communication doesn’t help. My hope is that we get back to the table with Aldi and we figure out a path forward together,” he said.


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