Conversion of Dominick’s to Whole Foods Will Be Slow

Whole Foods Market Inc. (Austin, Texas) has confirmed that it will not take over second former Dominick’s grocery store locations in the Chicago area until “sometime in 2015.”

It will take that long, said Whole Foods, to remodel the sites.

Experts note that Whole Foods' floor plan differs markedly from those of Dominick's. Aisles are less grid-based, which encourages shoppers to wander.

 “With Whole Foods, every store is a work of art, to a degree,” Neil Stern, a senior partner at retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle LLP in Chicago; told Crain’s Chicago Business.. “They're going to customize and localize everything. And in a supermarket, refrigeration and freezer space don't move easily. Most remodels are gut remodels that are going to be expensive and going to take some time.”