BY ANDREA HOLECEK, Times of Northwest Indiana
holecek@nwitimes.com
MUNSTER | Sterk's Super Foods is closing its "underperforming" store at 1830 45th Ave. at the end of the month, a company official said Thursday.
Jim Denges, vice president-assistant general manager of Central Grocers, said the lease on the store is set to expire within months and "is not being renewed."
Although the Sterk's chain is independently operated, Franklin Park-based Central Grocers Inc. owns 100 percent of its stock. Central Grocers, the wholesale distributor of Centrella products, also owns the majority of the stock in the Strack & Van Til chain, which also is independently run.
"They (shoppers) have a lot of options in that area, and that's why the store underperformed," Denges said.
Beside the Sterk's 45th Avenue store, there is a Strack's store in Munster, an Ultra store -- Strack's warehouse brand -- nearby in Highland and another Sterk's store at 6529 Columbia Ave. in Hammond, as well as stores in Munster and adjacent towns belonging to several other chains.
Joe Kolavo, president of Sterk's Super Foods, didn't return calls for comment Thursday.
Despite rumors to the contrary, the Hammond Sterk's isn't closing, Denges said. Sterk's had expected in February to sell that store, its store at 2121 Columbus Drive, East Chicago, and at One Sauk Plaza, Sauk Village, to The Food Club Inc. of Chicago Ridge. But that deal has fallen through, Denges said.
"At the last minute, the financing didn't come through," Denges said. "We still expect to sell them. There are prospective buyers. Kolavo's working 24/7 to get the deals through."
Employees of the Munster Sterk's will "be moved around to other locations," he said. "As we were winding down, we lost some. We'll make sure the others are taken of."
The sale of the Sterk's Super Foods store in Richton Park to Buy-N-Save Inc. of Chicago has been completed, Denges said.
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