Whole Foods expansion advances in Providence, Chicago

Whole Foods has begun work at the former Eastside Marketplace in Providence, where the city has issued permits for electrical and fire-suppression work but not building construction; the company has signed a 20-year lease, and no opening date has been announced. In Chicago’s Logan Square, Whole Foods plans a 10,000-square-foot small-format store at a former Family Dollar near the CTA Blue Line, part of its strategy to bring Daily Shop stores to dense, transit-connected neighborhoods. Local officials welcomed the grocery store, citing residents’ long-standing need for nearby food shopping, while the change from a discount retailer to an upscale grocer reflects shifts in the neighborhood’s housing and retail mix.