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HOMER GLEN – Big R Stores held a ribbon cutting May 15 in Homer Glen for its new store.
The store is at the prominent corner of Bell Road and 159th Street. It is the first store the company has opened in the Chicago metro area, expanding the current chain to 17 locations, according to a news release from the village.
Big R Stores were established in 1964 in in Watseka. The newest Big R store has created 45 new jobs in Homer Glen, and there are estimates the new Big R Store will annually generate more than $100,000 in sales tax revenue for the community.
“The new Big R store will help the village to capture important retail sales currently spent in other Will County communities,” Mayor George Yukich said in the news release. “Big R breathes new life into the former Kmart property, at one of our busiest intersections, and will draw new retail customers to Homer Glen from up to 30 miles away.”
Big R CEO Jerry Gibbs said the Morris store is doing well and the company saw an opportunity to continue investing in the region.
“It’s a great feeling to bring our family-run stores to the south suburbs while creating new jobs.” Gibbs said in the news release. “We want to make sure that we always take care of our customers. We want to make sure each customer’s dollar is well spent and that they leave Big R happy and satisfied.”