Coborn’s to expand into Illinois with purchase of Sullivan’s Foods grocery chain

St. Cloud-based Coborn’s, Inc. is set to purchase Sullivan’s Foods, a family-owned grocery chain in northern and central Illinois.

The acquisition — which consists of 11 Sullivan’s grocery stores, three hardware stores, a gas station/convenience store and the Sullivan’s warehouse and corporate office — expands Coborn’s footprint into Illinois for the first time.

All of Sullivan’s approximately 800 employees will be hired by Coborn’s, and the stores will continue to operate under the Sullivan’s banner.

“The Sullivan family has run their family of stores with great care and is a highly respected retailer,” Coborn’s Chairman and CEO Chris Coborn said in a statement. “We look forward to extending the same operating philosophies in these locations that have made us successful for 102 years — investing and training for our people, supporting our communities and investing in our stores to improve the experience for our guests. We look forward to having the entire Sullivan’s team join our team to learn more about their operations and communities.”

Coborn’s now owns 77 grocery stores across the Midwest, in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. Aside from Sullivan’s, their brands include Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods, Hornbacher’s and Tadych’s Marketplace Foods.