Whole Foods to open store at former Family Dollar in Logan Square

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

Whole Foods Market plans to open in Logan Square at the building that housed Family Dollar, Block Club Chicago reported. It will be the chain's second smaller-format store in Chicago, after the Wicker Park Daily Shop announced in May.

The Logan Square deal follows a pattern: Old Town signed in late August, and Lake View is in the pipeline. Under Amazon, Whole Foods has 10 Chicago locations. The company plans more than 100 new stores nationally, leaning on the Daily Shop format for dense, transit-connected neighborhoods.

Why it matters

Whole Foods' compact format is spreading across Chicago's dense neighborhoods, changing where residents can buy groceries without a full-size supermarket.

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Key Indicators

Chicago smaller-format stores

Wicker Park and Logan Square

Chicago Whole Foods locations

As of September 2026

550

Total Whole Foods stores

Across the US, Canada, and UK

Daily Shop locations as of May 2026

Before Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia leases were signed

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Christina Minardi

Vice President of Real Estate and Store Development, Whole Foods Market and Amazon

Leading Daily Shop expansion

Organizations Involved

Whole Foods Market

Grocery chain

Expanding compact Daily Shop format in Chicago

Natural and organic grocery chain owned by Amazon.

Amazon

Technology and retail company

Owner of Whole Foods; accelerating physical grocery retail

Bought Whole Foods in 2017 and uses it as the anchor of its physical grocery strategy.

Timeline

2024 October 2026

5 events Latest: Yesterday

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Whole Foods plans store at former Family Dollar in Logan Square
Latest Announcement

Block Club reports Whole Foods will take former Family Dollar in Logan Square, Chicago's second smaller-format store.
Yesterday
August 2026
Whole Foods signs lease at former Treasure Island in Old Town
Lease

Ald. Brian Hopkins announces Whole Foods leased the former Treasure Island building at 1639 N. Wells St., vacant since 2018.
August 31st, 2026
May 2026
Whole Foods signs Daily Shop leases in three US markets
Lease

Company signs leases in Boston's Seaport, Chicago's Wicker Park, and Philadelphia's South Street. Chicago gets its first Daily Shop.
May 13th, 2026
April 2026
First Daily Shop opens in London
Expansion

Whole Foods takes the compact format international, opening a Daily Shop in London.
April 2026
2024
Daily Shop concept launches in New York City
Launch

Whole Foods opens its first Daily Shop in New York, testing a smaller format for dense urban areas.
2024

Scenarios

Logan Square store opens to shoppers

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Block Club Chicago; Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods finalizes the lease, renovates the former Family Dollar, and opens a Daily Shop. No opening date has been announced; retail reconstruction of a vacant site typically takes a year or more.

Whole Foods signs more Chicago Daily Shop leases

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Chicago Tribune

The pattern of Wicker Park, Logan Square, Old Town, and Lake View continues with additional compact stores across the city. Each lease expands the network Amazon says it plans to grow past 550 stores.

Logan Square lease falls through

Unlikely Resolves by Oct 27, 2027

Discussed by: No major outlet has predicted this; included as a downside case

The project is cancelled or stalled indefinitely. Family Dollar vacated the site; without Whole Foods, the space could sit empty the way the Old Town Treasure Island did for eight years before its recent lease.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

August 2017

Amazon acquires Whole Foods (2017)

Amazon announced it would buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in June 2017 and closed the deal in August. The acquisition gave Amazon a national grocery chain and a bridge into physical retail.

Then

Amazon cut prices at Whole Foods, introduced delivery, and began reworking the chain's operations.

Now

Whole Foods now operates 550+ stores, with more than 100 additional locations planned. The Daily Shop format is the direct result of Amazon's capital and logistics.

Why this matters now

The Logan Square store is the latest expansion enabled by Amazon's 2017 purchase. Without that deal, Whole Foods' compact-format push into Chicago would lack the financial backing behind it.

2016-2019

Whole Foods 365 format (2016-2019)

Whole Foods launched 365 by Whole Foods Market in 2016 as a smaller, value-priced store. It opened a handful of locations before Amazon's acquisition changed the company's priorities.

Then

365 stores had trouble distinguishing themselves from the main Whole Foods brand.

Now

Whole Foods phased out the 365 format. The Daily Shop concept is its successor, with different design and merchandising under Amazon.

Why this matters now

Daily Shop is Whole Foods' second attempt at a smaller footprint. The 365 experiment shows the company has tried compact stores before; Daily Shop is the current answer.