Omni Superstore
| File:Omni Superstore112.PNG | |
| Company type | Supermarket |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Fate | Integrated into Dominick's |
| Headquarters | Northlake, Illinois |
| Products | Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, liquor |
| Parent | Dominick's |
| Website | None |
Omni Superstore operated as a supermarket chain within the Chicago region under the ownership of Dominick's. By 1997, Dominick's discontinued the Omni brand and transformed those outlets into Dominick's stores due to Omni's comparatively lower financial performance against other Dominick's locations.[1][2]
Launch
The inaugural Omni Superstore was launched by Dominick's Finer Foods in April 1987 at Lake View Plaza in Orland Park, Illinois, situated at the intersection of 159th Street and LaGrange Road.[3][4]
The development of Omni Superstore was Dominick's strategic response to the entry of Cub Foods into the Chicago grocery sector during the mid-1980s. Dominick's and their development team described Omni as a more vibrant alternative to Cub Foods. This new concept aimed to counter Cub Foods’ low-cost and warehouse-style approach.[5] (Cub Foods exited the Chicago market in 2006 following antitrust issues; its parent company Supervalu took over the Jewel-Osco chain.)
Over the next decade, an additional seventeen Omni locations opened across the Chicago metropolitan area. Eventually, due to various factors such as shifts in consumer tastes and intensified competition from retailers like Meijer—which launched its first Chicago-area outlet in August 1999—as well as newcomers like Whole Foods and Wal-Mart, Dominick's decided to phase out the Omni brand.
Entry into Indiana
In 1991, Dominick's launched an Omni Superstore located in Schererville, Indiana. This location was rebranded as a Dominick's in 1997 but ceased operations by 1999, remaining vacant for four years afterward.
When Omni Superstore entered the Northwest Indiana market, traditionally Strack & Van Til’s stronghold, in 1991, Strack & Van Til responded with billboards proclaiming "We still bag em," highlighting that unlike Omni, they continued to bag customers’ groceries. Both retailers maintained competitive businesses and loyal clientele until the transition of Omni Superstore into Dominick's led to changes in the market dynamic.[5] [7]
Dominick's had also intended to establish an Omni Superstore at the Hammond Mills shopping center in Hammond, Indiana, situated at 165th Street and Indianapolis Boulevard.Template:Fix/category[citation needed] However, this location opened as a Dominick's in January 1999. The store struggled due to local consumer preferences in Hammond favoring lower prices over Dominick's European-style Fresh Store concept, leading to its closure after only seven months. This marked Dominick's final withdrawal from the Indiana market.[8]
Expansion and conversion to Dominick's
Under Dominick's management, additional Omni Superstores were introduced. Nevertheless, the Omni format lagged behind the performance of Dominick's Fresh stores. Consequently, in October 1997, Dominick's declared plans to convert its Omni outlets into the Fresh store format.[2][9] Prior to Safeway’s acquisition of Dominick’s, Crain’s Chicago Business speculated that expanding the Omni brand beyond the Chicago area could have been a profitable strategy.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
Several former Omni locations that transitioned to Dominick’s eventually shuttered because many shoppers preferred Omni’s value-oriented, no-frills shopping style. Although the revamped stores featured upscale décor with a European ambiance, the significant price increases led many longtime customers to seek alternatives.[10]
Dominick’s was acquired by Safeway in 1998.[11] Following this acquisition, the Fresh market concept was discontinued and numerous underperforming locations were subsequently closed.
The building on Clybourn Avenue in Chicago represents one of the last remaining former Omni Superstore locations now operated by Dominick’s. According to a manager at Dominick’s, the store opened in Matteson, Illinois in 1989 was originally intended to be an Omni Superstore but was switched at the last moment due to municipal regulations. Additionally, in 1997 construction commenced on a 91,531-square-foot (8,503.5 m2) Omni Superstore at Lincoln Highway and Western Avenue in nearby Chicago Heights, Illinois, but this store never opened. Furthermore, reports from the Northwest Indiana Times indicate that the Hammond location opened as a Dominick’s rather than an Omni Superstore and closed within seven months; it later reopened as a Kroger under the Food4Less brand.[12]
Safeway appears to have retained ownership of the Omni brand name by applying it to a range of organic private-label products available within Dominick’s and other Safeway-operated stores.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
Legacy
Bob Mariano, the former CEO of Dominick's and head of the Omni Superstore discount division, established a new grocery chain in the Chicago region under the Mariano's name. The operational approach and store design of Mariano's closely mirror those seen in the Omni Superstore concept developed under Mariano's leadership. Notable characteristics include:
- An open ceiling design exposing structural elements, evoking a warehouse loft ambiance.
- A strict employee dress code limited to black and white attire; men are required to wear dress shirts paired with black ties, while women wear more casual black and white ensembles.
- Frequent use of overhead paging throughout the store.
- A significant assortment of ethnic and locally sourced products customized to the community.
- A substantial bulk food aisle offering multi-pack items reminiscent of Costco’s style.
- Store layouts that strongly resemble those of Omni/Dominick's stores managed by Mariano.
Omni Superstore Branding and Department Naming
Omni Superstore featured a variety of departments including a bakery, Hero’s Deli, Field Fresh Produce section, Great Lakes Seafood, The Dairy Depot, The Greenery floral shop, a one-hour photo lab, extensive general merchandise area, Homestyle home goods department, The Cheese Shop, cosmetics counter, pharmacy, and a wholesale/family pack foods section separated by large 20-foot industrial orange steel shelving from the grocery aisles. Earlier Omni stores included a video rental section; however, this was phased out in later locations. Notably, the Orland Park Omni had a dedicated video store entrance adjacent to the exit doors.
The naming conventions for departments drew inspiration from regional themes related to Chicago, the Midwest, and Great Lakes areas. This approach was innovative at the time when most American grocery stores used generic labels such as "produce," "dairy," or "meat." The development of this distinctive naming system was led by Louis Germano, Director of Dominick's store planning; Schafer Associates, Omni’s architectural firm; and Jarob Design/Programmed Products responsible for signage and graphics.
Store Layout
With the exception of the Round Lake Beach and McHenry locations in Illinois—which adopted layouts similar to conventional Dominick’s—most Omni stores followed a consistent floor plan. The primary variations involved experimentation with placement of the one-hour photo department/electronics counter and cosmetics counters. For example, Orland Park positioned cosmetics at the rear with photo services on a mezzanine level; Aurora placed photo services beside the pharmacy; Crestwood and Schererville located cosmetics near the front opposite Hero’s Deli. This frequent reconfiguration reflected Omni’s ongoing merchandising and layout innovations. Although adhering to a core blueprint, each store maintained its own unique atmosphere.
All Omni stores maintained a consistent traffic flow: customers entered on the building’s right side and exited on the left—no mirrored floor plans existed.
A wide main aisle approximately 15 feet across guided shoppers from the entrance straight toward the back. To the right were perpendicular general merchandise gondolas with a mezzanine above housing the one-hour photo lab centrally located within these aisles. On the left side of this main corridor stood expansive 20-foot shelving units separating general merchandise from grocery aisles that extended beyond fifteen aisles in total.
The produce and bakery departments were situated at the far left end of the store. Contrary to typical supermarket designs where produce is near entryways, Omni placed its “Field Fresh Produce,” “The Greenery” floral department, and main bakery at the final stop before checkout lanes.
Hero’s Deli occupied space immediately to the right upon entering within the general merchandise section. This layout encouraged customers to pass through both deli and general merchandise areas en route to groceries. Additionally, an area called “Omni Superbuys” featured deep-discount items within general merchandise.
Space-frame canopies supported signage and lighting fixtures above several departments along the back wall including Great Lakes Seafood, Dairy Depot, Meat Department, Field Fresh Produce, and The Greenery floral shop. Each department name utilized distinct fonts and graphics mounted onto these canopies.
Earlier Omni locations employed Ceramic Metal Halide lighting systems; later stores transitioned to industrial strip fluorescent lighting.
Typical Omni Superstores ranged in size from approximately 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m2) to 95,000 sq ft (8,800 m2), while sister Dominick’s Food and Drug combo stores averaged around 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m2).
Distinctive Characteristics
The inaugural Omni Superstore located in Orland Park initially featured a prominent black banding, approximately 10 feet tall, adorned with images representing various department products along the outer walls. This design was later replaced by a white and orange palette, highlighted by an orange stripe extending along the perimeter walls.[13]
An expansive banner, styled as a "flying wave" in orange and white hues, was suspended in a sweeping curved manner above the grocery section. Early iterations displayed the phrase "Lower Prices Overall," whereas subsequent stores adopted the tagline "Discount Food and Drug."[13]
Starting in 1988, St. Paul Federal Bank served as the primary financial institution within Illinois Omni Superstore locations.[14][15] Meanwhile, Centier Bank established a branch inside the Indiana Omni Store.[16]
Taglines
- Take Home the Difference
- Lower Prices Overall (the most frequently used slogan)
- Discount Food and Drug
References
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