Washington Park Save A Lot closed after break-in, residents told to use Englewood store

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Save A Lot in Washington Park has closed indefinitely after a break-in left property damage, owners of the store said Monday.

Yellow Banana, the Ohio-based owner of seven Chicago Save A Lot stores, made the decision to close its Washington Park store because of a break-in over the weekend that led to "significant property damage," a spokesperson said Monday.

Employees arrived Saturday morning to find the store trashed, bottles broken on the floor and, more importantly, much of the computer equipment stolen, ripped from the walls in the offices along with much of the electrical wiring.

Whoever committed the crimes apparently got in after breaking the front window. No arrests have been made as of Monday afternoon.

Yellow Banana said it has been planning renovations at the Washington Park store, updating the look and adding more food and drinking options. Those will now have to wait while they work on cleaning up the mess and reopening the store.

The store in the Washington Park area was acquired by Yellow Banana through a licensing agreement with Save A Lot along with six other stores in September 2021 to help repair Chicago's food deserts.

Save A Lot is planning a grand opening when they finish renovations to the Englewood store. The closed Washington Park store is a problem for many residents as it was one of the only places in the immediate area to find groceries.

A sign at the Washington Park location directs customers to the new Englewood store, about a mile-and-a-half away, which recently opened in the former Whole Foods location.

It could take up to two months to reopen the Washington Park store, officials said.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.