LOMBARD, Ill. -- Two days after announcing the closing and subsequent sale of 15 stores in the Chicago area, White Hen Pantry Inc. announced yesterday the opening of its newest store and two others soon to follow.
Yesterday's opening occurred at 1508 N. Damen Ave. in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. Ted Beilman, senior vice president of merchandising, also announced that the company has two additional stores under construction with projected openings in late June.
"Our growth initiatives are well under way, and [image-nocss] we are pleased with our progress," said Beilman. We expect to open 10 new stores in 2006 and 15 new stores per year in 2007 and beyond."
Beilman's comments echo those made by Tom Romanello, White Hen's senior director of merchandising and advertising, who told CSP Daily News on Monday that the company plans to open as many stores as it closes as the chain goes through asset reconciliations. That process led to 15 sites in Chicago and its suburbs being placed on the auction block this week. They are underperforming stores, Romanello said. And [the sale] is part of making sure that our portfolio is filled with the very best-performing stores.
Romanello also said most of the new stores will be new builds rather than acquisitions.
The newly opened Damen Avenue store offers White Hen's broad selection of gourmet coffees, an ever-expanding line-up of natural and organic foods, fresh Pantry Select green salads, its signature full-service deli, and a toasted-to-order Hot & Fresh sandwich program with a state-of-the-art touch-screen ordering system.
White Hen Pantry Inc., based in Lombard, Ill., has 265 predominantly franchisee-operated stores in the Chicago and Boston areas.
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