Chicago Ald. Jeannette Taylor (20th Ward) and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel | Wikipedia
Chicago Ald. Jeannette Taylor (20th Ward) and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel | Wikipedia
Chicago taxpayers paid tens of millions to subsidize a Whole Foods store in one of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods-- one with a median household income barely one-fifth that of a typical store built in Illinois by the company.
The Englewood Whole Foods, which opened in 2016 and closed in late April, sought to serve a community with a median household income of just $23,019, versus an average of $103,124.
That's according to an analysis of Whole Foods locations and U.S. Census data by Chicago City Wire.
The analysis looked at all 27 Chicago area Whole Foods locations-- stores clustered in some of the area's wealthiest communities, mostly on the North Side, North Shore suburbs and other upscale locales like Hinsdale, River Forest and Elmhurst.
The median household income in Hinsdale is $202,115, River Forest $125,288 and Elmhurst $120,438, U.S. Census data shows.
Chicago Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), whose district is next to Englewood, told NBC-5 the store knowns as "Whole Paycheck" was too expensive, obviously.
“The community needs a grocery store. Whole Foods was just expensive. And a lot of people did not shop there. So, I understand it. But that should have been a community ask” to reduce store prices," Taylor said.
It didn't reduce prices, but Whole Foods did get a host of taxpayer money to open its Englewood store, which was proclaimed by Chicago elected officials as "economic development" for the city's most notorious crime-ridden neighborhood, which saw more than 30 murders in 2021.
"The Whole Foods store will facilitate economic growth in the neighborhood, creating jobs and expanding access to quality and affordable food," Emanuel said.
A year later, Amazon then-CEO Jeff Bezos purchased the upscale grocery chain for $13.7 billion.
Whole Foods also received tax credits from the city for other purposes, as part of the Englewood deal.
It built a $32.4 million warehouse and distribution center in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood through a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan approved by the City Council. Those subsidies amounted to another $8.4 million to help pay for site preparation costs, including grading, demolition, and utility installation.
All told, the developer of the store, DL3 Realty, received more than $13 million in federal tax credits for the project from the Chicago Development Fund and PNC Bank.
“It’s a short term solution to a long term problem,” labor researcher Pedro Bortoto told Courthouse News. “It’s white liberal thinking. It’s, ‘we want to the neighborhood to have good food. Where do they have good food? Oh, Whole Foods.’ Never mind how expensive it is.”
Whole Foods has 514 locations in the U.S.
Whole Foods locations in Chicagoland
| City | Region | Street Address | Zip | Median HHI |
| Hinsdale | DuPage | 500 E. Ogden Ave. | 60521 | $202,115 |
| Deerfield | North Shore | 760 Waukegan Rd. | 60015 | $154,824 |
| Naperville | DuPage | 2607 W 75th St | 60540 | $128,617 |
| River North | Chicago North | 3 W Chicago Ave | 60654 | $128,101 |
| West Loop | Chicago North | 1 N Halsted St | 60661 | $125,365 |
| River Forest | West Cook | 7245 Lake St | 60305 | $125,288 |
| Lincoln Park | Chicago North | 1550 N Kingsbury St | 60642 | $120,442 |
| Elmhurst | DuPage | 215 IL-83 | 60126 | $120,438 |
| Northbrook | North Shore | 840 Willow Rd Ste M | 60062 | $116,579 |
| Park Ridge | NW Cook | 225 W Touhy Ave | 60068 | $113,909 |
| Kildeer | Lake | 20281 Rand Rd | 60047 | $113,467 |
| Streeterville | Chicago North | 255 E Grand Ave | 60611 | $108,413 |
| Wheaton | DuPage | 89 Danada Square E | 60189 | $107,996 |
| Willowbrook | DuPage | 6300 Kingery Hwy. | 60527 | $103,648 |
| Dearborn Park | Chicago South | 1101 S Canal St Ste 107 | 60607 | $103,173 |
| Vernon Hills | Lake | 851 N. Milwaukee Ave. | 60061 | $100,709 |
| Sauganash | Chicago North | 6020 N Cicero ave | 60646 | $100,670 |
| Lake View | Chicago North | 3201 N Ashland Ave | 60657 | $94,722 |
| Schaumburg | NW Cook | 750 N Martingale Rd | 60173 | $92,568 |
| Lake View | Chicago North | 3640 N Halsted St | 60613 | $84,463 |
| Orland Park | SW Suburbs | 15260 South La Grange Road | 60462 | $83,652 |
| Beverly | Chicago South | 9600 S Western Ave | 60805 | $79,396 |
| Evanston | North Shore | 2748 Green Bay Rd | 60201 | $77,371 |
| Evanston | North Shore | 1640 Chicago Ave. | 60201 | $77,371 |
| Edgewater | Chicago North | 6009 N Broadway | 60660 | $53,365 |
| Hyde Park | Chicago South | 5118 S Lake Park Ave | 60615 | $44,658 |
| Englewood | Chicago South | 832 W. 63rd | 60621 | $23,019 |
Source: WholeFoods.com & U.S. Census; Engelwood store is closed.
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